I just viewed an episode of Misfits on hulu.com that had English subtitles on a British show. Apparently, the accents the characters used was so strong that viewers were having trouble understanding them.
I understand it's not that unusual for some US viewers to struggle with regional British accents. I'm aware of a documentary about the band Oasis which was subtitled in parts for its US release, while parts of the film Trainspotting were re-dubbed with the actors speaking slower.
I also remember watching some trashy American talk show some years ago which featured a satellite interview with a guest's English boyfriend (who spoke with a fairly strong Estuary accent). After he'd been speaking for a few minutes, the host interrupted him to turn to camera and asked "Is he speaking English?!" (I think I may have thrown something at the TV at that point ;)
I'd be interested in seeing any studies on accent comprehension. I am generally good at understanding accents, and it's weird to me when someone I am watching with has trouble. For example, my dad (who is, like me, a native-born Californian who speaks English as a first language) has significantly more trouble understanding British accents than I do. He and I watched an episode of Doctor Who together recently that he claimed to barely be able to understand, and I had no trouble at all. And I'm no Anglophile who watches lots of British TV - if anything, he watches far more British TV than I do. (He loves Top Gear.)
I also remember watching some trashy American talk show some years ago which featured a satellite interview with a guest's English boyfriend (who spoke with a fairly strong Estuary accent). After he'd been speaking for a few minutes, the host interrupted him to turn to camera and asked "Is he speaking English?!" (I think I may have thrown something at the TV at that point ;)
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