Mastering the intricacies of any given culture’s accent isn’t easy, but if there’s two that Americans would more or less claim to have down pat, they are British and Borat. While the latter is achievable by more or less saying, “My wiiiiiiife,” the former is perhaps a touch more complicated than we’re giving it credit for.
A new video from Cut demonstrates as much, as it asks 100 different Americans to offer up their best plea for tea and crumpets. The result is not only hilarious but also indicative of how pop culture often serves as a gateway to crafting our cultural impressions.
Nearly all the participants draw upon either a famously British figure from pop culture—James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter—or a cry for those aforementioned crumpets (or, lacking that, some spotted dick), sometimes with a “jolly ole” tossed in front of it. Probably the best part of hearing anyone attempt an accent, however, is the unintentional lilts they trip into along the way. Here, we see traces of Australian, Scottish, and Jamaican accents, and, of course, Borat. It’s only natural.
For its next video, Cut should round up 100 Brits to don their best U.S. accent. In the meantime, we’ll gird ourselves for each and every mention of Donald Trump, meatloaf, and guns.