Television Examples of Different Accents

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:05PM #1

An Italian friend who lives in England has asked me if I could advise him on which TV programmes could help him in terms of understanding different English language accents. He's doing an IELTS course and he knows that the exam will feature different accents (including English speaking people doing mock foreign accents - why exactly I don't know). I've come up with this list, I know a few are pretty general because Ireland, Wales and Scotland doesn't have the same accent throughout for example, but would be grateful for any suggestions.

London:
Only Fools and Horses
Eastenders

Manchester:
Coronation Street

Birmingham/Scotland/London:
Porridge (Fletch - London, Godber - Birmingham, Mr. Mackay and Maclaren- Scotland

Liverpool:
Bread
The Liver Birds

Newcastle:
The Likely Lads
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads
Ant and Dec

East of England/Wales:
Gavin and Stacey

Ireland (perhaps a northern one would be useful):
Father Ted

American:
Friends

Australia:
Neighbours
Home and Away

Yorkshire:
Emmerdale

Mock foreign accents:
Allo Allo

Scotland and Birmingham I'm struggling on.

darkpagandeath · 08-06-2015 08:11PM

Fair city if you are sadistic.

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:13PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Fair city if you are sadistic.

He lives in England so he's blessed that he can't get it haha!!!

Osborne · 08-06-2015 08:15PM

Birmingham - Peaky Blinders
Scotland - Rab C Nesbit

darkpagandeath · 08-06-2015 08:17PM

Very Bored wrote: »

He lives in England so he's blessed that he can't get it haha!!!

Ok then hollyoaks :pac:

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:18PM

Osborne wrote: »

Birmingham - Peaky Blinders
Scotland - Rab C Nesbit

Forgot about Rab C Nesbit... I could tell him they always have someone who speaks like that in the exam lol.

Jimbob1977 · 08-06-2015 08:18PM

Rab C Nesbitt for Glasgow

Trainspotting for general Scotland

Byker Grove or Our Friends in the North for Newcastle

Jasper Carrot for Birmingham

Inbetweeners for the Home Counties (Bucks, Herts, Surrey)

mikom · 08-06-2015 08:20PM

A lot of accents covered in this classic.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tklaMNH7IA

Sheep Lover · 08-06-2015 08:21PM

"Sminky shorts" for very accurate Irish accents.

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:22PM

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Rab C Nesbitt for Glasgow

Trainspotting for general Scotland

Byker Grove or Our Friends in the North for Newcastle

Jasper Carrot for Birmingham

Inbetweeners for the Home Counties (Bucks, Herts, Surrey)

Jasper Carrot made me think of Billy Connolly for Glasgow thanks

.

Into The Blue · 08-06-2015 08:24PM

Were they all Scottish in taggart, or just taggart himself?

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:25PM

Into The Blue wrote: »

Were they all Scottish in taggart, or just taggart himself?

All as far as I'm aware.

Sheep Lover · 08-06-2015 08:25PM

When your friend thinks they know how to understand various accents fairly well, test them out on a strong Liverpool accent. And watch their confidence drain away..

Reiver · 08-06-2015 08:25PM

Second Sminky Shorts. They do a whole host of them.

Into The Blue · 08-06-2015 08:27PM

He could YouTube the regional news of each area.

The Backwards Man · 08-06-2015 08:29PM

Into The Blue wrote: »

Were they all Scottish in taggart, or just taggart himself?

Na, they were all displaced aliens from the planet Zog.:P

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:34PM

What is Sminky Shorts? I looked it up on YouTube and all I could find was stuff about elephants and cows.

Into The Blue wrote: »

He could YouTube the regional news of each area.

Good idea.

Sheep Lover wrote: »

When your friend thinks they know how to understand various accents fairly well, test them out on a strong Liverpool accent. And watch their confidence drain away..

I've always been puzzled by the bewilderment at scouse accents. I spend a lot of time over in Liverpool and find it very easy to understand (though that could be familiarity). Its Newcastle I find hard.

cml387 · 08-06-2015 08:35PM

Glaswegian accents in their rawest form seldom make it to tv due the fact that subtitles would be needed (probably Rab is the closest equivalent).

Matt Lucas is from Bristol (yeah but no but) and occasionally wanders over the border to his Welsh village of which he is the only gay.

The Backwards Man · 08-06-2015 08:38PM

cml387 wrote: »

Glaswegian accents in their rawest form seldom make it to tv due the fact that subtitles would be needed (probably Rab is the closest equivalent).

Matt Lucas is from Bristol (yeah but no but) and occasionally wanders over the border to his Welsh village of which he is the only gay.

A lot of accents are like that though. If I was to meet anyone here in real life, they'd most likely find me incomprehensible.

refusetolose · 08-06-2015 08:39PM

Very Bored wrote: »

What is Sminky Shorts? I looked it up on YouTube and all I could find was stuff about elephants and cows.

you found the right videos then

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:40PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

A lot of accents are like that though. If I was to meet anyone here in real life, they'd most likely find me incomprehensible.

Where are you from?

cml387 · 08-06-2015 08:41PM

The supreme exponent of Geordie speak is not on TV, but is Sid The Sexist in Viz.
The writing is so well tuned to the accent that you can acquire it just by reading it out loud.

The Backwards Man · 08-06-2015 08:42PM

Very Bored wrote: »

Where are you from?

Dublin 4.

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:42PM

cml387 wrote: »

The supreme exponent of Geordie speak is not on TV, but is Sid The Sexist in Viz.
The writing is so well tuned to the accent that you can acquire it just by reading it out loud.

The Fat Slags are the same with the Nottingham accent.

Very Bored · 08-06-2015 08:43PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Dublin 4.

Can't imagine you're that hard to understand then

.

08-06-2015 08:48PM

Get some Taggart into him, I also like a few sketches from Limmy's Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtX2IToSuHY

Alpha Romeo · 08-06-2015 08:50PM

Greame McDowell interview - American

efb · 08-06-2015 08:54PM

'Allo 'Allo Anglofranco

lizzyman · 08-06-2015 08:56PM

cml387 wrote: »

Glaswegian accents in their rawest form seldom make it to tv due the fact that subtitles would be needed (probably Rab is the closest equivalent).

Is this a Glasgow accent? I like to think I can understand most accents but after the first few seconds he might as well be speaking a different language

razorblunt · 08-06-2015 08:56PM

Still Game is a handy one for the Scottish too.

For Edinburgh accents try one of the series based on Ian Rankin's Rebus character (mainly the criminals).

frostyjacks · 08-06-2015 08:59PM

Dad's Army would have a mixture of regional and class accents.

Television Examples of Different Accents

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