Stephen Graham has revealed his accent landed him the job on the McDonald's advert. The actor from Kirkby has firmly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in film and TV, having worked on a huge list of successful projects including Adolescence, Boiling Point and A Thousand Blows.
Despite his award-winning career as an actor, Stephen was also snapped up by fast food chain McDonald's solely for his voice earlier this year. The 53-year-old is renowned for his ability to do different accents, but he has now revealed McDonald's wanted him because of the "way he says chicken".
How the McDonald's gig came about
Many of us will have heard the McDonald's advert without realising, whether it be on the radio or on TV during an ad break. His voice features in adverts for the McCrispy, Big Arch, "Breakfast Done Properly," and on the McDonald's app. Stephen replaced long-time voice of the brand Dexter Fletcher in April 2026.
Stephen appeared on The Chris Moyles Show earlier this week and was handed a Burger King bag of breakfast food as a joke. Presenter Chris Moyles said: "Burger King is an odd choice for you isn’t it Stephen? Look at that. Do you like a bit of Burger King? I do, do you like it? Do you have a favourite? Double Whopper?"
Stephen said: "Oh, you cheeky" as he realised the joke was in relation to his McDonald's advert. Chris asked: "You’ve done some wonderful projects but you must’ve been buzzing when you got that McDonald’s gig. Did you audition for it?"
What Stephen insisted on keeping
Stephen explained he was approached by the brand, but he gave them one thing he wasn't going to change if he was to accept the job. The actor explained to Chris and listeners: "We had a conversation, and I just said ‘look thank you very much for the opportunity. But there’s one thing, that I’m not gonna change.’ And they said ‘what’s that?’ And I said ’the way I say chicken.’ And they went ’thank you Stephen, that’s why we want you.’ And I was like ’nice one, sweet!'"
Taking to the comments on social media, one fan said: "Brilliant" while another added: "Great interview. Love Stephen Graham." A third joked and said: "I’m lovin it."
New book and upcoming film
Stephen Graham appeared on the radio following the release of his new book with Orly Klein, Letters To Our Sons. The book was inspired by the incredible success of ground-breaking drama Adolescence, which was released on Netflix last year.
The 53-year-old has built on his mission to open up conversations between men with this new book, which is a curation of letters penned by dads from all walks of life. Stephen is also set to star in upcoming Hollywood film Heat 2 alongside Leonardo Di Caprio. The movie serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 crime classic, Heat.
