Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

British actors cash in on accent popularity in voiceover market - with Downton Abbey's Lady Mary top of the wish list

Michelle Dockery’s upper-class accent for Lady Mary – distinct from her own Essex one – beat Hugh Grant’s voice into second place

Ian Johnston
Monday 04 May 2015 00:58 BST
Comments
Michelle Dockery plays Lady Mary in Downton Abbey
Michelle Dockery plays Lady Mary in Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary – played by actress Michelle Dockery – has the most sought after British accent in the US voice-over business, according to market analysts.

A study by PeoplePerHour (PPH), a marketplace for freelance voice-over artists, looked at 5,000 job adverts seeking British accents for recording jobs, anything from training manuals to audiobooks, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Stars such as Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Colin Firth and Stephen Fry have been credited with increasing sales of audiobooks after making recordings.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, of PPH, said: “The original British export was manufacturing then it was financial services now it seems to be the British accent.

“With more companies than ever across the world utilising videos for promotional purposes, voiceover artists from the UK are cashing in on the popularity of their accents.

“It's not just companies either, it seems that people from America, Australia and the UAE are also hiring voiceovers for novelty projects like birthday messages.

“The is potentially driven by a new wave of British programmes that are becoming hugely popular in the US and other countries across the world.”

Dockery’s upper-class accent for Lady Mary – distinct from her own Essex one – beat Hugh Grant’s voice into second place with Daniel Craig’s in third. Colin Farrell, James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Hugh Laurie, Idris Elba and Sean Connery made up the rest of the top 10.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in