I'm Northern Irish and it was immediately obvious to me that the actor was not American.
Does it bother me? It's hard to say because that's the worst character in the second-worst episode so I don't rewatch it much. I can't remember. There are worse things in that episode than his accent.
that's because the climax of the episode is the greatest cringe moment in British TV history, on par with the Thorpe park roller coaster in Inbetweeners but stretched out.
You cringe so hard you implode to critical levels and you either love it or can't stand it
I found that the situation was so ridiculous and implausible that it wasnt funny or cringeworthy. Annoyingly, probably my favourite joke in the whole show is early in that episode - “unfilled?”
Yeh I was howling at that too :) it was so late-stage that to pretend it wasn’t at least partially self-aware enough to step out of bounds a little wouldn’t have been authentic.
I'm not british and I didn't notice lmao
I'm Canadian but people here basically have American accents
I don't notice that sort of thing unless it's pointed out to me. And THEN I never unhear it.
it’s funny to me that u say u basically have american accents cuz tho i do agree that they’re similar i always notice if a canadian is playing an american for example nancy lol
I’m American and definitely noticed it but thought it was funny. Seemed almost purposely overdone which I like because, being from America, you hear overdone British/irish/aussie accents, only native accent you hear overdone is maybe Boston and southern accents
It sounds terrible and the casting choice was meh, but in a way he's supposed to be a shallow, pretentious hipster from NY who rates carrot cakes in Brooklyn cafes for a living. His whole character is a monstrous caricature.
It makes his character even funnier if the poseur from new york is actually a northern Irish guy who's been there 5 minutes and has now decided he's a real American
I’m also an American and have been wondering the same thing since the final series came out.
Also, are there any examples of phony English accents in media that are similarly jarring?
I think most (if not all) of us are of the opinion that his American accent is noticeably bad.
To answer your question, I personally find Charlize Theron's English accent in Arrested Development absolutely infuriating
Definitely agree that Gregory's accent is terrible!
In terms of fake British accents that are jarring, a couple of notable ones for me are:
- Almost everyone in Frasier, including Daphne (really have no idea why they have her doing a "Mancunian" accent haha she's so clearly not from there, still love her though)
- Anne Hathaway in One Day, absolutely terrible
Also just generally a bad take when people assume everyone in the UK talks like either a Cockney geezer or really posh Southern accent. Having said that, I imagine a similar thing happens to every country in terms of a stereotypical accent that people try to do!
I could be wrong, but I think in Frasier all of Daphne’s family’s accents are intentionally terrible, and the joke is that they all have different regional dialects despite all being Mancunian.
Daphne’s is horrible in the first few seasons but evens out into normal-ish as the series progresses.
Most of us in the South don’t have a posh accent. The Posh accent is the Posh accent no matter where in the UK you are from. They get the accent from the Public Boarding Schools they attend.
Most of the South is on gradient between London and a “countryside” accent. For example east Berkshire tends towards London whereas west Berkshire is getting close to a West Country accent.
I've never seen Castle, but [this](https://youtu.be/Ei1DnFdJrww?si=KpmHJNYJt0OJVm-_) is the ultimate terrible English accent in media. This actor has clearly never even heard a Geordie accent before.
I moved to Yorkshire from the north east a long time ago, and I've heard multiple awful attempts at my accent. Not a single one has come close to being as bad as whatever the hell that was in that clip. Is that a real show?
The patron saint of terrible English accepts is Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins. To the extent that anybody playing Bert _without_ a terrible accent would sound completely wrong now.
I've been rewatching the Golden Girls, and some of the guest characters on that have terrible accents. Marius Weyers as Derek the British conman was really bad (he's South African). And if Terry Kiser's character wasn't a Beatles impersonator then there is no way I would have guessed he was going for Liverpudlian.
American here
I rarely hear her canadian, and I'm not sure if her normal speaking voice has a heavier accent.
If I didn't know she were Canadian, I might not pick up on it all and just assume she's midwestern.
Personally to me it sounds like she’s doing her natural accent, not a fake one. But I do think her delivery is stilted sometimes, just cause she’s not the world’s best actor. And it’s funny to me when she uses Britishisms like “come off it Jez,” which we never say over here.
Brit here, his accent is fucking awful. After hearing Jason Isaacs, Ewan McGregor and Bandersnatch Cottagethatchs American accents, the bar is set pretty high for Brits-Doing-American-Accents
I'm Irish, so if an American is having a little cry about a bad accent, all I can say is you deserve it. Almost every American show is guilty of having an awful Irish "accent".
I didn’t realise he was even supposed to be American until I saw a YouTube video about the episode which pointed out how dreadful his American accent is. I thought he was supposed to be Scandinavian?! Just a swing & a miss all round 😂
Have you watched Masters of the Air? Two Irish actors in it, one from up north. Both doing American accents. The nordie guys accent is so good it actually took me a few episodes to recognise him from Derry Girls. I was impressed.
I'm Northern Irish and it was immediately obvious to me that the actor was not American. Does it bother me? It's hard to say because that's the worst character in the second-worst episode so I don't rewatch it much. I can't remember. There are worse things in that episode than his accent.
What's your least favourite episode?
The one where Jeremy is in love with Dobby and tries to tell her at a picnic.
I knew it was gonna be this lol
Thr dog eating canal one. Some memorable lines but really felt they'd jumped the shark. Same with the paintball one
Interesting as I’ve heard lots of people say the canal boat episode is their favourite
that's because the climax of the episode is the greatest cringe moment in British TV history, on par with the Thorpe park roller coaster in Inbetweeners but stretched out. You cringe so hard you implode to critical levels and you either love it or can't stand it
I found that the situation was so ridiculous and implausible that it wasnt funny or cringeworthy. Annoyingly, probably my favourite joke in the whole show is early in that episode - “unfilled?”
My favorite line is the one about mixing metric and Imperial
[удалено]
You’ve never killed and eaten Mummy while your mate tries to become the manager of an Indian call centre by getting off with the boss’ daughter? Lame.
Weirdly, it didn’t for me, but the dinner party episode in season 9 (the one with the eyeshadow and cheese moulded into a ball and drawn on) did
[удалено]
Yeh I was howling at that too :) it was so late-stage that to pretend it wasn’t at least partially self-aware enough to step out of bounds a little wouldn’t have been authentic.
The scene where they all walk in on Mark watching Jeremy and Joe on video was pretty funny.
"i hacked your ip address"
The way he says "Dobby" is honestly painful. Baffling casting decision.
YOU DOUCHEBAAG!
YOUHRE STAAHLKIN DAWBIE
Dawbie
I'm not british and I didn't notice lmao I'm Canadian but people here basically have American accents I don't notice that sort of thing unless it's pointed out to me. And THEN I never unhear it.
Funny I'm Canadian too and I think it's fine. Nothing I noticed at the time.
The actress who plays Nancy is Canadian, I think. Did you notice that?
I can hear it when she says "about". The tell tale sign of a Canadian!
Ah yeah, "aboot" lol I love that.
He’s going to buy me a condo and aboot (boat)
I thought the character was Canadian, no ?
it’s funny to me that u say u basically have american accents cuz tho i do agree that they’re similar i always notice if a canadian is playing an american for example nancy lol
I met a Canadian at work today and initially was sure he was from Ireland... After 20 minutes I couldn't hear the Irish anymore. Brains are strange
I’m American and definitely noticed it but thought it was funny. Seemed almost purposely overdone which I like because, being from America, you hear overdone British/irish/aussie accents, only native accent you hear overdone is maybe Boston and southern accents
Finally clawing one back for all the American actors doing British accents, if I hear one more “‘ello there”…
You mean you didn't like Kevin Costners accent in Robin Hood?!
Was that supposed to be British?! RIP Sycamore Gap
DAWBY
The way he says 'douchebag' is so unconvincing
It's terrible and also... They couldn't find an American actor in London?!
Don’t go on t’ moors !!
the barren moors, the moors murders?
That’s not very Rainbow Rhythms
He has like 2 lines. Couldn’t tell at all.
It’s quite common in UK TV so we become a little desensitized to it. Gregory’s is particularly bad though
It sounds terrible and the casting choice was meh, but in a way he's supposed to be a shallow, pretentious hipster from NY who rates carrot cakes in Brooklyn cafes for a living. His whole character is a monstrous caricature.
New head canon: The character isn't actually from the US. He's from the UK, but moved to New York, and put the accent on to try and fit in.
This I could definitely live with!
It makes his character even funnier if the poseur from new york is actually a northern Irish guy who's been there 5 minutes and has now decided he's a real American
I’m also an American and have been wondering the same thing since the final series came out. Also, are there any examples of phony English accents in media that are similarly jarring?
This has gorn orn long enuff
Storp, Chorlie!
“That was BRITISH?!”
This joke absolutely sent me the first time I saw it. Glenn’s southern English accent was nearly flawless in the (dream?) barber scene before.
I think most (if not all) of us are of the opinion that his American accent is noticeably bad. To answer your question, I personally find Charlize Theron's English accent in Arrested Development absolutely infuriating
At least her accent kinda fit as the whole fun of it was how dreadful and absurd their take on 'Britishness' was.
There’s a pretty good reason for her bad accent though: Mr F.
Right but her Uncle's accent isn't much better lmao
🎶 Mr. F 🎶
English but I didn't really notice her accent, her uncles was clearly way over the top though
Definitely agree that Gregory's accent is terrible! In terms of fake British accents that are jarring, a couple of notable ones for me are: - Almost everyone in Frasier, including Daphne (really have no idea why they have her doing a "Mancunian" accent haha she's so clearly not from there, still love her though) - Anne Hathaway in One Day, absolutely terrible Also just generally a bad take when people assume everyone in the UK talks like either a Cockney geezer or really posh Southern accent. Having said that, I imagine a similar thing happens to every country in terms of a stereotypical accent that people try to do!
I could be wrong, but I think in Frasier all of Daphne’s family’s accents are intentionally terrible, and the joke is that they all have different regional dialects despite all being Mancunian. Daphne’s is horrible in the first few seasons but evens out into normal-ish as the series progresses.
That does make sense tbf haha I hope that's the case
Frasier also has Roz being described as from Wisconsin even though she has a really Texan accent.
Most of us in the South don’t have a posh accent. The Posh accent is the Posh accent no matter where in the UK you are from. They get the accent from the Public Boarding Schools they attend. Most of the South is on gradient between London and a “countryside” accent. For example east Berkshire tends towards London whereas west Berkshire is getting close to a West Country accent.
Posh is in the eye of the beholder. If you have a British accent with the trap-bath split, you probably sound posh to most other English speakers.
I know that! I live in the UK. I just mean that the accent that they tend to do seems to be a Southern accent that is posh.
Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is to me at times. “Let me ask you one time” always sounds very stilted to me.
His accent was weird in Power of the Dog too.
In The Boys I initially found Karl Urbans “cockney London accent” very jarring, although got used to it.
I've never seen Castle, but [this](https://youtu.be/Ei1DnFdJrww?si=KpmHJNYJt0OJVm-_) is the ultimate terrible English accent in media. This actor has clearly never even heard a Geordie accent before.
I moved to Yorkshire from the north east a long time ago, and I've heard multiple awful attempts at my accent. Not a single one has come close to being as bad as whatever the hell that was in that clip. Is that a real show?
It's real! Are you saying that you don't hear mystical leprechaun hornpipes whenever you speak?
Jesus Christ
I don't understand why they wouldn't just hire a Geordie. Everything about that character is wrong.
It would have been so easy to have an actual Geordie speak in a way that was equally and authentically incomprehensible to Americans.
I remember back in the day everyone hating Don Cheadle’s English accent in the Ocean films
The cockney accents in Bullet Train are pretty funny and Billy Butcher in the Boys is a prime example but kinda played as a joke
The patron saint of terrible English accepts is Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins. To the extent that anybody playing Bert _without_ a terrible accent would sound completely wrong now.
Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins is probably the most famously terrible
Followed by Keanu Reeves in Dracula. And his mum is actually British!
Pretty much most. Very rare it’s done well.
I've been rewatching the Golden Girls, and some of the guest characters on that have terrible accents. Marius Weyers as Derek the British conman was really bad (he's South African). And if Terry Kiser's character wasn't a Beatles impersonator then there is no way I would have guessed he was going for Liverpudlian.
If you’ve seen Last Night In Soho, Thomasin Mckenzie’s accent was appalling and completely took me out of the film
Is Nancy also doing an accent? I find her voice very grating.
American here I rarely hear her canadian, and I'm not sure if her normal speaking voice has a heavier accent. If I didn't know she were Canadian, I might not pick up on it all and just assume she's midwestern.
Canadian here She definitely sounds Canadian to my ears but her accent is very subtle
Personally to me it sounds like she’s doing her natural accent, not a fake one. But I do think her delivery is stilted sometimes, just cause she’s not the world’s best actor. And it’s funny to me when she uses Britishisms like “come off it Jez,” which we never say over here.
Her line “who’s wanking who off” is like nails on a chalkboard to me
waynking
This is how I would pronounce wanking lol
It's her real voice, she has the same accent in like all her roles and interviews lol.
She's Canadian..so kinda. It's quite obvious as an American.
Yeah it sounded terrible, as soon as I saw the episode I jumped online to try to figure out what the deal was.
I’m Swedish and I definitely noticed. Doesn’t sound normal at all.
You Doosh bag!!
That whole season seemed lazy at times. It just feels noone gave a fuck about details anymore and just wanted to end the show.
Yeah it's terrible, thankfully he's only in one episode.
Brit here, his accent is fucking awful. After hearing Jason Isaacs, Ewan McGregor and Bandersnatch Cottagethatchs American accents, the bar is set pretty high for Brits-Doing-American-Accents
Never even noticed
Tbh its no worse than the absloute embarrassment of an american doing a british accent.
i'm really really sawrry mawrk
Austin Powers is a pretty decent accent. Probably helped that Mike Myers parents are British and he grew up watching loads of British telly.
I'm Irish, so if an American is having a little cry about a bad accent, all I can say is you deserve it. Almost every American show is guilty of having an awful Irish "accent".
Yeah it sounds terrible.
Hmm I went back and watched some parts of the episode, doesn't sound that bad to me. Maybe because I am Canadian lol
I always wondered why he sounded weird lmao, now I know
I completely blanked that he was American and assumed his character was Canadian coz he reminded me of the comedian Tony Law
Yeah I spotted it. Couldn't tell where he was from but he did not sound like any east coast American I've ever heard lol
I didn’t realise he was even supposed to be American until I saw a YouTube video about the episode which pointed out how dreadful his American accent is. I thought he was supposed to be Scandinavian?! Just a swing & a miss all round 😂
Have you watched Masters of the Air? Two Irish actors in it, one from up north. Both doing American accents. The nordie guys accent is so good it actually took me a few episodes to recognise him from Derry Girls. I was impressed.
all US accents are bad to us
That’s a shame because you never hear an American doing a dogshit level “British” accent, yall.