The BBC accent

[BootinUp]

Antonello Guerrera
@antoguerrera
This video is an absolute gem. ❤️🇬🇧

In 1967 John Reith, the first ever Director General of the BBC, spoke to Malcolm Muggeridge about the "BBC accent". - via
@BBCArchive

Link to tweet

[Thunderbeast]

1. Radio announcers and newsreel narrators from the mid 20th century

all reported with the same intonation. It was mildly alarmist.

Listen to Rachael Maddow's "ULTRA". The voices from the archival radio news clips were not natural or conversational.

I wonder why?

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Based on my time spent in the UK, regional accents are alive and well.

But I always appreciated the BBC accent because the presenters' accents were crystal clear to American ears.

[3catwoman3]

3. How very interesting - I LOVE stuff like this.

Particularly intriguing was the bit about tower, tar, and tyre (tire) all being pronounced “tah.”

Thanks for posting this!

[Sneederbunk]

4. Malcolm Muggeridge was alway an intriguing tv guest.

Remember the old days with Jack Paar.

[Lionel Mandrake]

5. Something similar has happened on this side of the pond.

I'm from California. My parents were from the "Midwest", i.e., about two thirds of the way from the left coast to the right coast. Once I asked a fellow American what sort of accent I have. She said: "You sound like the man on television."