[Afamilyatwar-list] Where’s Sefton?

[john at johnfinch.com]

On 2018-04-07 15:55, Brian Renforth via Afamilyatwar-list wrote:
> According to Wikipedia only David Ashton spoke with a genuine
> Liveropudlian accent. However, it's not unusual for the more middle
> classes to speak in a toned down version of regional dialect, or no
> accent at all. AFAW is totally accurate in this respect. Tony Briggs
> probably spoke with a, "BBC" accent due to being educated privately,
> something Sefton frequently reminds him of!
> 
> As far as regional dialects are concerned broadcasters took care to
> tone them down to make them understandable others others. "When The
> Boat Comes In" is a good example.
> 
> Speaking of films set in North East England one of my all time
> favourites is "Payroll" from 1962. The majority of the cast speak with
> Southern England accents, probably for the same reason! It's a
> fantastic film though and one I  can watch frequently without getting
> bored of.
> 
> Cheers
> Brian
> 
> Sent from my Windows Phone
> 
> -------------------------
>  From: Scott Filderman via Afamilyatwar-list
> Sent: ‎07/‎04/‎2018 14:35
> To: Scott Filderman via Afamilyatwar-list
> Subject: [Afamilyatwar-list] Where’s Sefton?
> 
> My American ears have trouble placing British actors/characters by
> their regional accents, as almost always casts were mixed, and no one
> could afford to be totally regionally authentic, and seldom ever!
> 
> So: Sefton (the actor, the character) intrigues me (the Soames Forsyte
> of AFAW minus the aura of tragedy). What accent is the actor using,
> and shouldn’t Tony sound approximately the same—Tony sounds more
> like “authoritarian BBC.” The Sefton accent stands out to my ears,
> the other outlier being David.
> 
> Are there other, more subtle differences British audiences hear in
> other characters that I might listen for?

hI,    iNTERESTING.   I think Bryan has made the point.   The one thing 
that irritates me as a Yorkshire writer is when a character, obviously 
intended to be a Yorkshireman is played by an actor with a phoney 
Yorkshire accent.  JF