British TV Series to Improve Your English Accent
1. The Great British Bake Off
2. Black Mirror
3. Jamie Oliver
4. The X Factor
5. Sherlock
6. Strictly Come Dancing
7. Peep Show
8. Downton Abbey
9. Planet Earth
10. The Only Way is Essex
11. Made in Chelsea
About the Shows
- The Great British Bake Off: a friendly baking competition. Contestants come from all over the UK, so you hear many regional accents in relaxed, everyday conversation.
- Black Mirror: an anthology drama about technology and society. Each episode is a separate story; some later episodes are set in the United States.
- Jamie Oliver: the chef presents several cooking series. He speaks fast, informal English with an Essex accent — good practice for natural speech.
- The X Factor: a singing contest with judges and contestants from different parts of Britain.
- Sherlock: a modern version of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The dialogue is quick and clever, so use subtitles at first.
- Strictly Come Dancing: a celebrity dance competition with plenty of light, polite studio conversation.
- Peep Show: a comedy about two flatmates in London, full of colloquial expressions. For adult viewers.
- Downton Abbey: a period drama in which the aristocratic family and their Yorkshire servants speak very differently — useful for hearing class and regional contrast.
- Planet Earth: a nature documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough in slow, clear English. The best place for beginners to start.
- The Only Way Is Essex: a reality series with strong Essex accents and slang.
- Made in Chelsea: a reality series following wealthy young Londoners; a very different accent from Essex.
How to Use Them
Choose one programme and watch a ten-minute section three times: first with English subtitles, then without, then pausing to repeat a few lines aloud. Note five new phrases each time. Short, repeated viewing does more for your accent and listening than watching a whole season once.
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Topics: Speaking & Listening