Fry: Americans confuse British accents for talent

As a man who has spent three decades earning a living as the quintessential English gent, Stephen Fry should be slower than most to point the finger at British stars who rely on their cut-glass accents to seduce American audiences.

But the comedian, actor and novelist - who once mused that he so embodied Englishness that his vocal cords were made of tweed - yesterday questioned the recipe for British success in Hollywood by suggesting that plummy tones can also conceal a lack of talent.

In remarks which he himself described as "high treason", Fry suggested that Britons could be over-rated in the US because of their accent and the "brittle contrivances" of their acting style.

The host of the television quiz QI and star of advertisements for Twinings Tea, who has just finished filming a cameo role for the American drama serial Bones, said he had been struck by the possibility while witnessing the triumph of British stars at the Golden Globe awards.

Among the UK-bred winners at the ceremony in January were Jeremy Irons, Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Hugh Laurie and Dame Helen Mirren, who went on to win the best actress Oscar in The Queen.

Fry told the Radio Times: "I shouldn't be saying this, high treason really, but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren't fooled by our accent into detecting a brilliance that may not really be there.

"I mean, would they notice if Jeremy Irons or Judi Dench gave a bad performance? Not that those paragons ever would. But it's worth considering."

The actor is best known in America for his role in the Jeeves & Wooster television series as a clipped-toned butler alongside Laurie, now the star of another US hit, House.

In his autobiography he wrote: "My vocal cords are made of tweed. I give off an air of Oxford donnishness and old BBC wirelesses."

But Fry said his encounter with US television had shown him how the relaxed nature of American actors contrasted sharply with their British counterparts.

He said: "So it is with acting: the supreme relaxed authenticity of a James Stewart or a George Clooney compared with the brittle contrivances of a Laurence Olivier or a Kenneth Branagh, marvellous as they are.

"American actors are good at playing an Ordinary Joe. Can you imagine Ben Kingsley playing 'like, this guy, you know'? No more than one could picture Tom Hanks playing Hannibal Lecter."

Suggesting that Britons are condemned to be cast as stereotypes in Hollywood, Fry added: "When American TV and movies call for a twist of limey in their cocktail, it's usually a character they're after: supervillain, emotionally constipated academic, effete eccentric, that kind of thing."

But the 49-year-old comedian, who nonetheless professed a fondness for playing such roles, at least had the good sense not to exclude himself from the criticism. He said: "Generally, we admire the thing we are not. On the set of Bones I have been amazed and impressed by the naturalness of the cast, and berate myself for sounding as if I'm speechifying instead of talking."

His remarks came as it was announced that two more British household names are to try their luck in charming American audiences, this time with a Geordie accent.

Ant and Dec, the hosts of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, are to record a pilot of a new game show for the ABC network.

Variety magazine reported that the pair, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, had been "aggressively" courted by American executives for some time and have agreed to host Wanna Bet?, a German format in which members of the public wager that they can pull off bizarre or extraordinary stunts. They were recruited by an American producer, Phil Gurin, who will hoping that the pair prove more successful than his last import from the UK. He brought Anne Robinson to Los Angeles for the US version of The Weakest Link which was eventually cancelled after audiences failed to warm to the Queen of Mean.

Doing rather well over there ...

* HELEN MIRREN

The doyenne of the latest British attempt to take Tinseltown by storm, Mirren won the best actress Oscar for her lead role in The Queen. Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Peter O'Toole and Stephen Frears all missed out.

* HUGH LAURIE

The co-star of Stephen Fry in Jeeves & Wooster has been re-invented as the grizzled genius Dr Gregory House in a fictional New Jersey hospital. Laurie picked up his second Golden Globe for House in January. Laurie has even achieved his success without resorting to the Queen's English. His character is American.

* SIMON COWELL

The record company executive is now probably the best known Brit in American entertainment. Last year he signed a five-year deal, worth £20m per series, to remain as a vituperative judge in American Idol, the US version of Pop Idol.

* PARMINDER NAGRA

The girl from Leicester who first came to prominence in Bend It Like Beckham alongside Keira Knightley is now one of the "golden girls" of ER. She plays Dr Neela Rasgostra in the long-running hospital drama, earning an estimated £1.5m per series.

* IAN MCSHANE

The antiques dealer with the dodgy hair do in Lovejoy said a few years ago that his acting career was over. Then came Dead-wood, an American Wild West series, in which he plays a dissolute brothel owner. So far it has won him a Golden Globe and £100,000 per episode.

* RICKY GERVAIS

The American version of The Office has been a runaway success. He has earned an estimated £3m from the sale of the rights for The Office and Extras.