I live in the U.S. and watched Gracepoint, and really enjoyed it so I bought season 1 of Braodchurch on DVD, and am now watching season 2 on BBC. I love the show, my only problem is I have trouble understanding a lot of what Hardy is saying. I don't have trouble understanding any of the other characters, it's like his accent is thicker than the rest. Anyone else have this problem?
sharethat's Tennants natural accent I think, I do not have a problem with understanding him; you should watch more British programs, Annie's accent in Life on Mars took me forever to catch, it was much worse than Tennants
shareNo. It's a thicker, lower version of his usual accent.
From 57:20 in the following mp3, you can hear him go vocally from his own voice to Hardy's -- getting phlegmy and lowering the tone.
http://podcast.timlradio.co.uk/oconnell/20150112142120.mp3
It's the bit I referenced above.
You are right. I did listen to the clip you provided and the voice of Hardy is deeper, more somber, and the tone is more earnest. Still like it but if you combine the accent with the quieter, deeper voice, it could cause listeners trouble. I still just relax into the rhythm and the dialog and I can always play it back, if need be.
shareHe's pretty hard to understand, but all the unfamiliar English accents take a little getting used to. I like when the mother first confesses to the father that she's pregnant again and she's says something like: "I'm pregnant and I 'ate it". You ate it?! Oh my god! Ha, ha.
BTW, I saw David Tennant in one of the "St. Trinian's" movies and he has a real posh English accent in that. So even if he is Scottish, he is choosing to do a heavy Scottish accent.
He's done various English and Scottish accents over the years.
I suppose if you want to hear what Alec Hardy would have sounded like as a 22 year old, check out "Taking Over the Asylum". More high-energy but just as brogue-laden.
Of course he used an English accent all the way through Doctor Who. Again, some of his early work like his guest stint on "The Bill" or his cameo in "The Chatterley Affair" shows he can do regional English dialects as well.
I'm American, but I watch a ton of BBC television (they just do it right :D ) I actually thought his accent was rather tame.
At first I was upset they had him use an American accent for Gracepoint, but I realize that these are small towns, the chance of there being someone European for a local detective seems slight.
Broadchurch is an amazing show. Season two really steps it up.
Not really.
shareI love listening to his brogue, but I watch the show with the closed captioning on. :-) It's the only way I can pick up on everything being said. He has more of a Scottish brogue than a British accent, but even with the Brits, the accent and the slang, which I really enjoy, if I don't have the CC on, I miss too much.
shareI'm an American and do not found David Tennant hard to understand. Please note I watched a lot of BBC programs, movies with European actors/actresses and I think because of my exposure to this from a young age I don't have so much trouble understanding them. Just give it time and all of a sudden it starts to make sense.
shareI also had much trouble understanding a Scotch accent. He also seemed to mutter often making it even more difficult. No such problem with the rest of the cast.
shareI've watched a number of British shows since I was a kid. There were only a handful of occasions when I couldn't understand something Hardy said.
shareNot just US viewers. I am Australian and his accent was so difficult to understand I had to rewind several times to decider what he said. Very annoying.
shareHave a listen to this. From 57:20 in the following mp3, you can hear David Tennant go vocally from his own voice to Hardy's -- getting phlegmy and lowering the tone.
http://podcast.timlradio.co.uk/oconnell/20150112142120.mp3
I watch it via Netflix DVDs and use the subtitle option. Problem solved!
share