I really like the subject matter. I like everything about this show with one exception...Brian Cox's voice and/or accent is very fatiguing to me. It's okay in small doses, but an hour of listening to that voice is just too much. It's not merely annoying, there's a physical reaction which makes it gradually more and more difficult to pay attention to what he is saying.
shareHis accent presents no problem for me. He's also married to a former US citizen, so that probably also helps.
But some of the things he says are pretty funny ...
like the way he pronouces aluminum ...
by saying: AL YOU MIN EE UM
instead of saying: A lOO Ma Num like the way we do here in the states.
Or the way he says: GEE SERS (which sounds like he means OLD MEN)
instead of: GUY SERS ...
in reference to the gushers in YELLOW STONE.
He also says MEE THANE instead of METH ane.
People also kept bitching about accents on another show called TOP of the LAKE which was filmed in NEW ZEALAND.
So they were told to use the CLOSED CAPTION option ...
which means you can also watch a program without even needing to listen to the sound of it.
So give that option a try if his voice bothers you that much.
Cox is English, where the spelling is aluminium and not aluminum (notice the difference). The naming of the element was a balls-up, and had various forms to start with. Blame Davy for not following the prefered convention of the time and not being able to make up his mind.
Methane is also pronounced "mee" in the UK too.
He grew up in the north of England, where the accent is nothing like the home counties sound most Americans assume the English have.
Brian is perfect for this show. So passionate about his work and wonders of the universe. Love his accent, his voice, actually his whole presence is really appealing. He makes science so much more approachable and interesting to us, regural folks. Can't wait for his new project!
share[deleted]
I'm so glad you understand. Perhaps I should have changed the title of the thread to "For me, the problem with this show is..." but I assumed that was obvious.
I've never been good at understanding accents. When part of my brain has to focus on trying to understand the words, it interferes with the part trying to follow the meaning of sentences. It's mentally fatiguing. If only there were subtitles I would have no complaints at all.