"I have received a text from Theresa, who is in Burnley, up there in Lancashire - Theresa would like to hear some Scarlatti..."
OK - no problem - there are probably a lot of people who don't know where Burnley is - or Lancashire, for that matter.
A few minutes later, the link was,
"I have a nice message from Tom, who is in Streatham, and today Tom is busy doing his accounts..."
She didn't say, "...Streatham, which is in South London...", presumably because everyone is expected to know where Streatham is. Funny that. It doesn't bother me in the slightest, but there is something a little retro about the episode. This is a national radio station, bear in mind. Faint echoes of Two-Way Family Favourites on Sundays on the BBC Light Programme, back in the 1960s. If Gunner Arkwright's family come from Rawtenstall, make sure that we mention that this is a long way from the Centre of Things - it's company policy.
There was no offence intended, obviously, but it is still an instinct on national radio - some gentle apology needed for reference to the Provinces (though, of course, there are a lot of new Tory MPs up there now, which must make a difference, you would think). Some reflected glory in demonstrating that the BBC is able to transmit to (and even has some kind of an audience in) the far-flung reaches of our Sceptred Isle.
Anyway, I had a laugh at it, and there is no harm done, but it reminded me of this clip, which I still find hilarious - apologies for the poor picture definition - best I could find.
I hadn't seen that clip before and I think that pretty sums it all up:)
ReplyDeleteI just tend to ignore these sort of things these days - the further North you go the better it gets until you leave Yorkshire :)
Sounds about right!
DeleteFabulous clip from Catherine Tate. What a great show that was (I assume she's not done any for a while, they've not found it down our way).
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, over here in australie ocidentale the t'other siders barely know that we exist. We quite like it actually!
It's part of human nature to identify people we can feel superior to, I guess, but the legends and the stereoypes build up until they replace the reality. The funniest of the lot, to me, are the people who believe that they have "no accent". I used to have frequent jocular jousts with a former boss of mine - he used to pull my leg because I "spoke like a heathen", and I used to pull his because at least my accent came from a real place, rather than from the dormitory of a minor public school in Devon (he was Irish, by the way).
DeleteI suspect the tory candidates had to look at a map to find where their prospective constituencies were . On a side note coming from Cumbria it annoys me no end when Birmingham is referred to as in the 'North' - it's in the Midlands !
ReplyDeleteThe old joke used to be that the North began at Watford. All depends where you are standing.
DeleteThis video IS very, very funny. I must be on the unusual side here in the good ol' U.S. of A., but I actually do know where Lancashire and Burnley are on the map. Streatham not so much though. My people came originally from Cornwall via Newcastle before making their way across the Atlantic in the early 20th century. Something to do with selling large mining equipment and related machinery to the companies operating in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where lots of Cornish people headed. Sadly, family connections have fallen by the wayside long ago, especially after the late 1980s, when my maternal grandmother ceased making her yearly trek home for several weeks each summer.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
It's sad that we attempt to train people to be ashamed of their origins, and find excuses to exclude them, and then we make a big fuss about St Patrick's Day etc. A Jewish friend said to me recently that making fun of someone's accent is OK, unless, of course, it happens to be a Jewish accent...
DeleteInteresting point. Sadly very near the reality that has been created these last twenty years or so. Frankly I dont recognise London as my capital city anymore. I view it as a separate entity that lost its soul a longtime ago. Strangely I am going there tomorrow, so they better lock up their daughters.
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved up North from London 30 odd years ago my mates treated me as if I had moved to the other side of the moon.
ReplyDeleteI got to know where Burnley was as I use to travel over once a week for a game at a friends house.
I am a South London Lad so the North starts the other side of the Thames.
Like many others, you were probably surprised that they had flushing toilets, electricity and banks up there. I believe I have family from Burnley, though I don't think I ever met them...
DeleteNever heard of Streatham. Is it nice?
ReplyDeleteNever been there, Mike. I'm sure it would be somewhere I should look up to, if I were not so damned ignorant.
DeleteI've been to Burnley, lovely place. Wigan was a bit depressing though. But all that was 25 years ago, so I imagine there have been a few changes, with more to come.
ReplyDeleteWigan used to be famous for the clubbing scene - many drunken nights out (not me - I just read about it). Also famous for pies, of course. That's Wigan, not me.
DeleteVery funny Tony...
ReplyDeleteWhat particularly annoys me is that you still sometimes see sub tittles on regional news reports... :-/
All the best. Aly
Yes, that is good, isn't it? Recently we've been watching some series about mountain-rescue teams in action - by some inconvenient correlation, the people who live in places where they have mountains seem to talk funny, so there are subtitles, as you say. Presumably they won't need to do this when filming the mountain rescue team in Battersea.
DeleteOoooh that was scary.
ReplyDeleteIt could have been a lot worse ...it could've been BOLTON !
;) (someday I will tell you my Bolton stories...)
As a Yank, you might understand if none of this makes the slightest sense to me! :-)
ReplyDeleteI understand, my dear fellow - quite so. Similarly, we always thought that the people in "Fargo" just spoke a little strangely.
Delete