As much as I love British television–and trust me, I love it a LOT–I have to admit that sometimes, depending on the thickness of the dialect, it can be hard for me to understand the dialogue. Sometimes you may even have to put on subtitles for maximum clarity, even though they’re all speaking he same language. It might elicit some embarrassment, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, and in fact, neither do the good folks at BritBox. They have added to their streaming service an option where your favorite British programs from BBC and ITV archives can be re-dubbed with American accents, via their Interp-Brit function.
Here’s the trailer:
Who among us (or our mothers) didn’t think the Daleks in Doctor Who were called “Darlicks” at first because of English accents? And don’t Tom Hiddleston and Colin Firth seem extra sexy now that they sound like they’re from Northern California? Of course they do! And now it makes much more sense for people to say things like the very American “you dozy little twonk.” Hip hip and hooray to BritBox and the ingenious Interp-Brit!
Okay, so naturally this is a fun April Fool’s Day bit (are you tired of those yet?) but this one made us laugh especially hard. John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty just looks so weird without his trademark supercilious tones. Dame Judi Dench, too! Although a Dalek saying “Exterminate” in what seems like a Zap Brannigan voice is a lot more pleasing to the ear, I’ll grant them that. Which was your favorite? Tell us in comments.
Image: BBC/BritBox
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor and the resident Whovian for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!
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