Hugh Laurie reckons that his American accent is probably the reason why his US hit show House has flopped here in the UK.

Hugh has told Playboy magazine – which men honestly do buy for the articles… not – that viewers in the UK are of course familiar with his British accent and that’s made us unwilling to accept his American persona as House.

“I’m quite dubious anytime I hear any of my countrymen playing American,” he told the magazine, adding, “I think that’s why House doesn’t do so well in England… The British are wise to me. Any sort of linguistic affectation drives the English absolutely mad…

“We’re all out to detect falsehood and artifice in the way English speakers speak.”

I think he’s quite right; I just can’t accept him in a) a serious medical role and b) as an American. However, he’s a good sport about it as you can see in this clip of him on the Ellen show. They’re talking about the differences between US and UK accents and what various sayings mean to folks either side of the pond… it’s pretty funny stuff.

And in this clip, you can see and hear him doing his American accent as well as some bloopers on the set of House…