islingtonclaret Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I couldn't get past the bizarre array of accents. If something is set in Liverpool, they're mainly scouse. If something is set in Manchester, they'd better be authentic Manc otherwise the Mancs would kick off about it. If something is set in Birmingham........ ? Don't get it it. They say it's supposed to be authentic, I get that. But it doesn't sound like a melting pot of culture to me. It sounds like a lot of actors trying to put some kind of Brummie accent on and it mainly sounding like their native accents. I got South African, Scouse and Irish. I don't mind skirting between yam and Brum, that's understandable and actually authentic. Cillian Murphy's Irish Brum sounds good. But my good there's a lot of nonsense in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 It seems like they are now admitting that the accents weren't always spot on in the first series:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bir...m-26457492 But overall in series one, director Colm McCarthy conceded "there was a struggle with the accents the first time around". He said in the first series "a lot of people were cast at the last minute" and were "having to play catch up" with the accents, but this time they have two new actors with Birmingham accents after auditions in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packoman Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) But isn't it supposed to be the accents from that time which were probably very different from the ones today? The accents didn't bother me at all, I actually liked them but maybe that's because I'm not from over there. Edited September 22, 2014 by packoman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Yep they are and Cillian studdied several accents from that period. I agree I couldn't care less about the accents, the performances are what counts. To have Cillian Murphy and Sam Neil in the first series was a big plus...Don't know Sam Neil is in the second series! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I loved this show. It was a real window into something I knew nothing about previously. One thing I couldn't reconcile though was the West Indian preacher bloke. Would I be correct in saying that there would not have been a particularly high Caribbean population in Birmingham in the post WW1 era? I also got the idea they were portraying him as a Rastafarian, but Rastafarianism didn't emerge until the 1930s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Well I've been a Brummie for over 54 years and I still sound like I'm from Kensington. So yes, I'd say it's a difficult accent to master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I didn't watch the first series, I made it about 30 minutes through the first episode. Is it true that Tom Hardy is in the second series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I didn't watch the first series, I made it about 30 minutes through the first episode. Is it true that Tom Hardy is in the second series? It's worth watching to be fair leemond and yes, Tom Hardy will be in the second season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 23, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 23, 2014 I loved this show. It was a real window into something I knew nothing about previously.One thing I couldn't reconcile though was the West Indian preacher bloke. Would I be correct in saying that there would not have been a particularly high Caribbean population in Birmingham in the post WW1 era? I also got the idea they were portraying him as a Rastafarian, but Rastafarianism didn't emerge until the 1930s.1) Black People did exist in the UK in this period, slavery ended a long time before. They weren't as common place as in todays multicultural city but there would have been enough of them around for a black person to be a reasonably common sight in working class communities.2) Correct on the Rastafarian point but is anyone going to tell Benjamin Zephaniah to cut off his dreads for an acting part? Doubt it and I really don't think it matters. He's a big Villa fan too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Fair enough. Thanks for the reply. Any idea when S2 commences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 The only bad thing about the show is the Small Heath link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 To be fair I wasn't sure whether or not it was a reality show when I first watched it and heard the reference to Small Heath. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 There were 2 accents I had a problem with, the sisters commie fella and the auntie, considering the auntie got rave reviews I found her even more frustrating I think after 2 episodes of me bigging up Murphy and O'Neil the missus said to me Anderson as the older brother is the one, she's not far wrong (can't let her be right obviously) he's brilliant in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 You can tell which actors are the real Brummies and they got all the small parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nath182 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Fair enough. Thanks for the reply. Any idea when S2 commences? BBC 2 at 9pm on 2nd October. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 But isn't it supposed to be the accents from that time which were probably very different from the ones today? The accents didn't bother me at all, I actually liked them but maybe that's because I'm not from over there. This begs the question, how would anybody know? That line about it being how Brummies spoke 100 years ago was just a cop out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Well I've met plenty of elderly Brummies with very strong accents that would have been alive less than 20 years after it was set, and you'd assume their accent was passed down from their parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 23, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted September 23, 2014 My mum was born in 1914. Standard brummie accent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted September 23, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 23, 2014 The Brummie accent hasn't changed much in the last 50 years, can't imagine it changed much in the 50 that went before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frobisher Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Steven Knight is giving a talk on the show at Library of Brum on 6th October, if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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