Aibu to enjoy seeing scots actors using their scots accents?

[Graphista]

So many end up having to use English or American accents in their work - I suspect the same is true for welsh and northern Irish actors too.

Also English actors with strong regional accents.

I love the rich diversity of accents and have even study the history and reasons to a peripheral degree and would love to learn more.

My own - due to being a military brat is 'fluid' heavily influenced by who I'm talking with at the time or strong accents on tv or radio.

I'm currently watching old episodes of Taggart on ukplay.

The episode I'm currently watching (well series of episodes the ones all following one storyline are all played as one episode - it's like a feature film love it)

This particular one features:

Sara stewart - most recently I saw her in unforgotten with an English accent

Billy Hartman - who played terry in emmerdale

The next one features Hannah Gordon so well known for her English roles I've met people who don't know she's a Scot.

Others who've appeared in Taggart and then gone on to be well known for roles in which they played English characters or even American ones

Robert Carlyle
Alan cumming
Neil Duncan
John Hannah
Jason Isaacs
Phyllis Logan

To mention just a few.

I understand why they need to play characters with other accents but I do enjoy hearing regional accents especially from actors for whom that's their natural accent.

Which actors do you get pleasure from seeing them being able to play with their natural accents? Are you from the same area? Which accents do you like generally?

In addition to scots accents (yes there's more than one) I love Irish accents but particularly Dublin, also scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire and welsh accents.

Kevin McKidd has a cleaned up Scots accent now though apparently he had great fun doing an impenetrable Elgin accent for Brave. I expect that there are a few US people who are surprised by his accent when they hear him on talk shows, just as they were surprised by Hugh Laurie after House.

Aberdeen and northwards is no problem but I do struggle with Glasgow and as for London.... 😳

The problem is that regional accents make it hard for the rest of the world to understand what is being said. Most people dont really like reading subtitles or hearing it 'dubbed'. That is why it makes sense to have a universal 'sound' that is understood by everyone. Comes down to money.

OP, you should watch River City on BBC iPlayer, you'd love it!

Everyone (in my circle) seemed to be surprised that Richard Madden (GoT, Bodyguard) is Scottish. But then I'm Scottish and can spot a Scot a mile off. He's also lovely. And can guard me any day grin

You can have him, he's a wee man, only 5ft., 8in.

True, I know it's become a commercial behemoth for the BBC, but David Tennant's normal accent is clear and hardly difficult to understand by most people who know English, surely? He doesn't exactly sound like Rab C Nesbit!

I watched this international cooking competition programme on. Etflix recently, with contestants from all over the world - China, India, Mexico etc - and the only one they subtitled was the Scot!

Doctor who has become far more global since the David Tennant era, yet has had Peter Capaldis doctor with a Scottish accent, Jodie Whittaker with a Yorkshire accent, plus companions with Inverness (Karen Gillan), Blackpool (Jenna Coleman) and Sheffield (Mandip Gill) accents.

More diverse accents on tv and film is good! I have a pretty neutral accent myself but I find accents quite interesting.

@Graphista: Robert Carlyle John Hannah

I'm not British, but have travelled extensively in the UK and have lived in Scotland for a year, so have heard lots of British accents. However, I don't think I've seen either of the above actors using anything other than a Scottish accent, even in Stargate or the Mummy films. I thought they were a bit like James Nesbitt who can't do any accents other than his own. I don't know if it's true but Daniela Nardini tried to show him how to do an Edinburgh/Glasgow (can't remember which) to play Jack Parlabane, and he apparently couldn't do it.

Perhaps I'm completely wrong and I just always hear them speak with the accent I first heard them using. I remember saying to an American friend that I thought it was good that Ian McShane didn't use an American accent in Deadwood. The response that yes, he does. Al Swearengen still sounds like Lovejoy to me.

Does Alun Armstrong ever use RP? I know he had a great success doing something Shakespeare with a regional accent.

Still Game anyone??

I absolutely adore that programme. My Dad’s from Dublin and i was surprised by how many similarities there were. Not necessarily accent-wise, but words the characters used.
I didn’t know the Scots said ‘whished’ until Jack Jarvis Esq said it. 😊

And I like Navid’s Scottish/Indian hybrid accent, too.

I adore Naveed he is hilarious new series starts in February

Navid is a Scots/Indian icon. And Jack Parlabane's fae Paisley. Could not for the life of me work out why James Nesbitt was cast in that role.

I have had to water down my very string Ayrshire accent for years to work in Glasgow. It’s only 25 miles away but the difference is quite big. I always amazes my DH who is from just outside Glasgow how much my accent and dialect changes when I phone home or we visit. One of my friends speaks Doric from the Aberdonian regionals as a lifelong Scot I can struggle with it. I love a proper highland accent -Sam Heughan does not have a highland accent (he’s from near Glasgow) I believe.

IClavdivs - Robert Carlyle played a serial killer in Cracker with a Liverpudlian accent.

I totally agree, but I love the Scottish accent. Robert Carlyle is my favourite actor, I could listen to him read the phone book.

@BreconBeBuggered; I could not work out why they ever thought John Hannah would make a good Rebus.

Actually, having said that, I do know why. John Hannah's production company had had the series commissioned.The people commissioning insisted he play the role, or no deal - or something like that.

David Tennant’s Scottish accent would hardly be difficult for a non Scot to understand. They wouldn’t need subtitles or any other aids. 🙄

He was raised in a manse and his father was a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the highest clergyman in the church.

Referencing his stint as Dr Who

Mckidd isn't an actor I'm very familiar with of all he's been in I've only seen brave - loved the accents in that.

I did watch river city for a while - purely for the accents - but the storylines & acting are bonkers! Might try it again though. It's actually filmed not too far from me.

"You can have him, he's a wee man, only 5ft., 8in." We're all the same height lying down 😉

I'm only 5'2" so he's still taller than me even if I'm in heels.

"However, I don't think I've seen either of the above actors using anything other than a Scottish accent" 😕

Erm I thought John Hannah did a perfectly good English accent in the mummy.

Robert Carlyle famously played a scouser in cracker - for which he was bafta nominated! He went full method for this role and kept the accent even when not filming and has a story about a scouse cab driver telling him he's never get away with playing a scouser as he was clearly from (I think it was southport - somewhere still merseyside/Liverpool area and scouse accent except to non scousers - basically akin to being told 'that's not a cockney accent it's a north London one). He says at that point he was confident he had the accent sussed.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=19-3i8Dc5GE

Totally different to his natural weegie accent (and he's actually from where Taggart is set Maryhill)

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ETMRa_eE58A

Even his accent in once upon a time is not a weegie accent though it's still scots sort of.

Still game is pure dead brilliant! Love it! Navid's accent is so familiar to me as I've a few friends who's parents are first generation India to glasgow immigrants and it's just how they speak. The friends are broad weegie, which is fine in glasgow but one has a job that requires international travel and she's had some...odd experiences when people are disconcerted by this very dark Indian heritage lady coming out with a broad weegie accent. Partly though as she mostly goes to USA and they seem to think whole of uk has a Middle English accent.

Never seen alun Armstrong do any but a generic "northern" accent but as he's a north east chap it occurs to me he'd likely do that accent well. But his "normal" accent now - but I suspect he took training to lose his natural accent - is generic middle England.

"and i was surprised by how many similarities there were. Not necessarily accent-wise, but words the characters used." Yes as a Scot of Irish descent with several Irish friends there's a lot of similarities in words/phrases used even proverbs and common sayings and grammar even sometimes.

I was not a particular father ted fan but am aware of the Mrs Doyle characters catch phrase and always thought it very similar to the scots doing "sure you do you want a tea/sandwich/cake, sure I'm sure you do" repeat ad infinitum 😂😂

"And Jack Parlabane's fae Paisley" that made me think of someone seeing (I think) Tom conti being a bit 'up himself' and putting on a posh accent and the person criticising saying something like "who you trying tae kid on? Stop trying tae talk posh ye're fae Paisley pal!"

I walked past Robert carlise in Glasgow airport years ago i was coolon the outside but squeeing on the inside he is a teeny tiny sexbomb

Richard Madden will be a perfect Bond. Drop dead gorgeous.

David tennants accent is somewhat generic but then I suspect other than scots might struggle if he continued to use a strong Renfrewshire accent.

Rubbish. He has an educated Scottish accent.

Are you on glue?

The only actors I can think of who come from my part of the world (Bristol, UK) were Steven Merchant who has a West country burr but not a true Bristolian accent and the late Cary Grant, who definitely didn't have one.

@user1471430558 "Robert Carlyle played a serial killer in Cracker with a Liverpudlian accent."

Thinking about it, I suppose he must have used a Sheffield accent in "The Full Monty" but I haven't seen it since I saw it at the cinema. I do remember thinking he still sounded like Hamish Macbeth, but that is probably just my perception.

Actually, as I typed this I am wondering what sort of accent he had in "28 weeks later" but I will never know as I hated that with a vengeance (loved "28 weeks later," though).

@Graphista: "Erm I thought John Hannah did a perfectly good English accent in the mummy."

I did actually say that it was my perception that might be off and I hear him speak with the accent I first heard him use. I have very little trouble with most accents except for a Valley Girl one, so actually only really notice accents consciously to think how much I like a person's voice (eg Patrick Stewart) or how it irritates me.

However, having seen all three Mummy movies, I vaguely remember asking a friend why Evie (I think) spoke using RP, while her brother had a Scottish accent. I won't be watching those again to double check because Brendan Fraser, unlike Dorian Gray, has a portrait growing younger - and, yes, I know he's been unwell, and I'm shallow, etc, etc, but he's a reminder to me of how my own body is failing.

But his "normal" accent now - but I suspect he took training to lose his natural accent - is generic middle England Do you mean a sort of generic Midlands' accent or some sort of "middle' class accent? I have never seen Alun Armstrong interviewed, so have no idea how he sounds in real life, but I saw his son in "Happy Valley" and except for the colouring and age they were like two peas in a pod, right down to the accent (except his son was born in Hammersmith). So, if you mean geographically his middle English - around which cities (eg Birmingham) would that be, as I think he originally comes from Durham.