Change my American English to RP English?

[Speakeasy]

... Does anyone know any good English shows based on historical dramas such as Downton Abbey that I can watch?

Yes, Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British situation comedy that was first broadcast by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984. All of the main characters speak RP English. The series is really quite engaging. Without a doubt, my favourite character was Sir Humphrey Appleby who serves throughout the series as permanent secretary under the minister.

The only thing I did not appreciate about the series was the (apparently obligatory) laugh track.

Yes, Minister - YouTube

[elka]

I think it is completely possible, especially if you are a native speaker of English. My aunt actually learnt RP (as a non-native speaker) to the degree that people think she is English when they hear her speak. I've been also trying to learn RP lately and I have found some good resources that might interest you.

1) Get rid of your accent - I highly suggest getting this book (it is also available as an app, which I use; I've also seen it on audible). It is aimed at native and non-native speakers alike. It breaks down all the sounds of English, stating exactly what you should be doing with your mouth when doing the sound and it is also accompanied by an illustration of how to make the sound. There are also several different exercises in every lesson.
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rid-your-Accent-Part-ebook/dp/B07SSM3CB9/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=get+rid+of+your+accent&qid=1586446657&sr=8-8

2) Udemy - udemy has some great courses in general and I've been able found a couple of high-rated RP courses, they all seem rather similar though so I think getting one might suffice.
https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?src=ukw&q=recieved+pronunciation

3) youtube seems to have quite a bit of instructional videos of varying degrees of quality, however.

One important thing I've learnt on youtube is that Americans have trouble mimicking the intonation of RP because it is rather specific. For this I would suggest listening to audio in RP as much as you can. My favourite show on the BBC radio is In our time cause it is about an hour long and it is also packed with interesting information (to me at least).

Another thing I've learnt is that making the sounds in the right way is important but there is one important underlying thing and it is where do you do the specific sounds from, in other words, where is your neutral position. I have found that for RP it is further back of the mouth, much more than it is for an American accent. It is rather difficult to shift your neutral position elsewhere but it makes a huge difference.

The most important thing is to practice and have the right mindset that you can do it. Best of luck

[lil_pug]

... Does anyone know any good English shows based on historical dramas such as Downton Abbey that I can watch?

Yes, Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British situation comedy that was first broadcast by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984. All of the main characters speak RP English. The series is really quite engaging. Without a doubt, my favourite character was Sir Humphrey Appleby who serves throughout the series as permanent secretary under the minister.

The only thing I did not appreciate about the series was the (apparently obligatory) laugh track.

Yes, Minister - YouTube

Thank you! I bookmarked a website for "Yes Minister" and I shall start watching it this evening.

[lil_pug]

I think it is completely possible, especially if you are a native speaker of English. My aunt actually learnt RP (as a non-native speaker) to the degree that people think she is English when they hear her speak. I've been also trying to learn RP lately and I have found some good resources that might interest you.

1) Get rid of your accent - I highly suggest getting this book (it is also available as an app, which I use; I've also seen it on audible). It is aimed at native and non-native speakers alike. It breaks down all the sounds of English, stating exactly what you should be doing with your mouth when doing the sound and it is also accompanied by an illustration of how to make the sound. There are also several different exercises in every lesson.
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rid-your-Accent-Part-ebook/dp/B07SSM3CB9/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=get+rid+of+your+accent&qid=1586446657&sr=8-8

2) Udemy - udemy has some great courses in general and I've been able found a couple of high-rated RP courses, they all seem rather similar though so I think getting one might suffice.
https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?src=ukw&q=recieved+pronunciation

3) youtube seems to have quite a bit of instructional videos of varying degrees of quality, however.

One important thing I've learnt on youtube is that Americans have trouble mimicking the intonation of RP because it is rather specific. For this I would suggest listening to audio in RP as much as you can. My favourite show on the BBC radio is In our time cause it is about an hour long and it is also packed with interesting information (to me at least).

Another thing I've learnt is that making the sounds in the right way is important but there is one important underlying thing and it is where do you do the specific sounds from, in other words, where is your neutral position. I have found that for RP it is further back of the mouth, much more than it is for an American accent. It is rather difficult to shift your neutral position elsewhere but it makes a huge difference.

The most important thing is to practice and have the right mindset that you can do it. Best of luck

This is exactly what I was looking for! I bought the app and it seems to be excellent quality. I'm currently using it to practice RP English. I also bookmarked the Udemy courses that you linked above. Thank you!

[elka]

I think it is completely possible, especially if you are a native speaker of English. My aunt actually learnt RP (as a non-native speaker) to the degree that people think she is English when they hear her speak. I've been also trying to learn RP lately and I have found some good resources that might interest you.

1) Get rid of your accent - I highly suggest getting this book (it is also available as an app, which I use; I've also seen it on audible). It is aimed at native and non-native speakers alike. It breaks down all the sounds of English, stating exactly what you should be doing with your mouth when doing the sound and it is also accompanied by an illustration of how to make the sound. There are also several different exercises in every lesson.
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rid-your-Accent-Part-ebook/dp/B07SSM3CB9/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=get+rid+of+your+accent&qid=1586446657&sr=8-8

2) Udemy - udemy has some great courses in general and I've been able found a couple of high-rated RP courses, they all seem rather similar though so I think getting one might suffice.
https://www.udemy.com/courses/search/?src=ukw&q=recieved+pronunciation

3) youtube seems to have quite a bit of instructional videos of varying degrees of quality, however.

One important thing I've learnt on youtube is that Americans have trouble mimicking the intonation of RP because it is rather specific. For this I would suggest listening to audio in RP as much as you can. My favourite show on the BBC radio is In our time cause it is about an hour long and it is also packed with interesting information (to me at least).

Another thing I've learnt is that making the sounds in the right way is important but there is one important underlying thing and it is where do you do the specific sounds from, in other words, where is your neutral position. I have found that for RP it is further back of the mouth, much more than it is for an American accent. It is rather difficult to shift your neutral position elsewhere but it makes a huge difference.

The most important thing is to practice and have the right mindset that you can do it. Best of luck

This is exactly what I was looking for! I bought the app and it seems to be excellent quality. I'm currently using it to practice RP English. I also bookmarked the Udemy courses that you linked above. Thank you!

Glad to be of help

[badger]

as a Brit, I find this a slightly odd thing to want to do. real RP, ie "posh" - as opposed to a neutral everyday English accent - is pretty much viewed as archaic here unless you're royalty or an aristocrat or similar. we have one Member of Parliament with a pronounced RP accent who gets called "the Member of Parliament for the 18th Century". even the Queen speaks notably less RP-like than she did 50 years ago.

if you want to learn RP because it interests you, then have fun but if you want to learn an English accent for everyday usage, then you'd be better off with with a more neutral, southern English accent.

[Flickserve]

You need to go back to older media.

My Fair Lady - with Audrey Hepburn

The Time Machine (1960)

Doctor in the House comedy series.

https://youtu.be/eaiusGbdm8I

or the films

https://youtu.be/BpWjUzEFEf8

Jeeves and Wooster

https://youtu.be/Z_CwiNVtuxE

Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes

https://youtu.be/bRJo0uIH8Us

The Good Life

https://youtu.be/QXh6Tdsj-wU

The Saint

https://youtu.be/Q2OUfs3kl98

Also look up films with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - Loved their horror films.

[Flickserve]

as a Brit, I find this a slightly odd thing to want to do. real RP, ie "posh" - as opposed to a neutral everyday English accent - is pretty much viewed as archaic here unless you're royalty or an aristocrat or similar. we have one Member of Parliament with a pronounced RP accent who gets called "the Member of Parliament for the 18th Century". even the Queen speaks notably less RP-like than she did 50 years ago..

RP is much loved by many non-Brits.

I learn Mandarin Chinese and when I ask to learn a specific accent, the native speakers also say, "why??". It's just a little side interest for me and makes the learning more fun.

[FyrsteSumarenINoreg]

I prefer Irish English.

[teapot]

As others have said, RP is rather anachronistic in modern Britain. In fact, the BBC has been making a concerted positive discrimination effort to introduce presenters with almost every regional accent, presumably to broaden its appeal. You will have to go quite far back in the BBC catalogue to hear use of RP.

A VPN connection might allow you to get at iPlayer, the BBC’s streaming app. If so, shows like Men from the Ministry from the early 1960’s have some characters that speak with RP. Most shows from that era or earlier were introduced by announcers that used RP. For example, the Reith Lectures back then were often delivered by people with strong accents but introduced by somebody plummy. Some of the lectures are delivered by people with RP like those by Cyril Radcliffe or Arnold Toynbee.

Quite why you want to learn RP instead of Welsh escapes me.