1. Dick Van Dyke - Mary Poppins (1964)
It just had to be. How could the top spot be taken by anybody else? Come on! Van Dyke's bizarre attempt at a Cockney accent in the bona-fide 1964 classic Mary Poppins is the epitome of awful British accents, butchered to within an inch of its life and rightly ridiculed by all who witness it. He is the guv'nor. As Bert, the loveable chimney sweeper, it's preposterously broad and muddled, varying all over the place as he prances around inside chalk paintings and sips tea on the ceiling. It's the most famous accent used to compare against the attempts of others, and is clearly Don Cheadle's shining inspiration. The accent is so bad that it's good. I think. It's also gallantly earned its place in popular culture, with the most recent reference showing up in Doctor Who's fiftieth anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, where the Eleventh Doctor mocks the Tenth: "brave words, Dick Van Dyke!" Ouch. Take a look at Van Dyke at his best:
What do you think of our list? Are there any other examples you can think of? Are we being too harsh on Van Dyke? He's a lovely man. Leave your comments below!