Yeah, baby, yeah. It's international talk with a fake British accent day

Dick van Dyke and Austin Powers have a lot to answer for. Two New York expats have designated December 17 International talk with a fake British accent day.

By Derek Nisbet
Published: 9:34AM GMT 07 Dec 2009

Watch out for the spinach in the teeth... Photo: Reuters

Louise Gale and myself founded Big Apple Brits, an expat community in New York City (NYC). We're both British born - Gale is English and I'm Scottish.

“When I moved from Surrey in October 2004, I hardly knew a soul and it took me over six months to find the NYC British expat group and make friends locally. I eventually took over the small but active meet-up group in 2006, four years after it had first been created” says Gale. “It seemed natural after it had done so much for me to socialise into the city and I wanted to ensure that others continued to get the same support.”

I had started the Scottish meet-up in 2007 and a chance meeting led to an entrepreneurial conversation between the two of us.

We realised that there was a powerful need for an online presence for our expat initiative.

And so in April 2009 Big Apple Brits (BAB) was born. The site has attracted 700 new members in its first six months and has big plans.

Not everyone can make it to events, so providing support and other expat-related news on the site really helps Brits feel connected.

“I love hearing stories about friendships that were formed by the group” says Gale.“There has been a wedding and even a baby born as a result of a couple meeting through our group, and this really makes me smile.”

The Big Apple Brits website also provides forums, blogs, photos, videos, newsfeeds and a business directory for expats who want to find British food and services in the city. There’s even an internet radio and podcast area and plans for BABTV.

BAB targets anglophiles and is holding its first International talk with a fake British accent day on December 17th in NYC. Begun as a virtual global event on Facebook, BAB have organised a face-to-face NYC event at Slatterys midtown pub, 8 East 36th Street, to celebrate the British accent and bring anglophiles together.

Everyone (even the Brits) is invited to adopt a fake accent for the event and may find themselves tested on the day by fiendish tongue twisters. You could mimic other famous "fakers", such as Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins or Austin Powers. “Fakers” will be recorded for posterity and members will get a chance to listen, vote, comment and discuss their efforts online.

We are excited about 2010 and building our expat network. For more information, check out Big Apple Brits.

* Do you have an anglophile event to tell Expat about? Write to us at weeklyt@telegraph.co.uk