Cradle to Grave
Discussion
This bought back a lot of memories for me, about the same age as Danny Baker and my dad was a docker in Southampton docks. I remember him discussing the NDLB (National Dock Labour Board) redundancy package when they were trying to reduce labour due to containerisation. The video recorder scene reminded me of my first VCR and my oldest son watching Star Wars over and over and over again, we both can remenber the adverts "Kraft Cheese Pots" 
Nope. In the book he buys a videodisc player whilst at the record shop. I don't get the negativity with PK's accent sounds exactly like a former girlfriends dad from way back when, who was born and bred in SE London, and come to think of it looked like him to. As a SE Londoner I feel qualified to comment.
red22 said:
I don't get the negativity with PK's accent sounds exactly like a former girlfriends dad from way back when, who was born and bred in SE London, and come to think of it looked like him to. As a SE Londoner I feel qualified to comment.
Indeed... I think it's to do with Eastenders and all non-Londoners thinking all London accents sound like Cocker-knees, cor-blimey, luv a duck, how's ya' father me old cock sparrah' etc...
red22 said:
Nope. In the book he buys a videodisc player whilst at the record shop. I don't get the negativity with PK's accent sounds exactly like a former girlfriends dad from way back when, who was born and bred in SE London, and come to think of it looked like him to. As a SE Londoner I feel qualified to comment.
From my perspective, it's not his accent - its the fact its Peter Kay, doing he accent.So I need to forget it's Peter Kay, then I enjoy it.
red22 said:
Nope. I don't get the negativity with PK's accent sounds exactly like a former girlfriends dad from way back when, who was born and bred in SE London, and come to think of it looked like him to. As a SE Londoner I feel qualified to comment.
We all hear sounds differently and much of what we hear is a result of how our brains process the sound and combine it with other senses. The fact that we see PK who built a career with his Bolton accent, particularly one that can be identified as from SW Bolton, makes it difficult to process what we are seeing which would have been known when he was cast.
Throughout my life I've travelled extensively and particularly in my younger years, I developed an "ear" for accents, to the extent that I can often ask people which specific part they come from as I can identify the area they developed their speech. Those who tend to stay in one region often struggle to pick up on the differences in other regional accents so someone from say Essex would hear say a working class Wigan accent and Leigh accent and say they sound the same.
London accents are as complex and as different as many other parts of the UK and the area just south of the Thames around Bermondsey was very different to even a couple of miles north.
What grates for me is the way his accent slips from a clear attempt to copying an accent to subtle northern overtones.
If they would have cast someone with a genuine working class London accent then they would have avoided that as it wouldn't have mattered which part of the south they came from but it would have been unlikely in the 70s for a northerner to get a job in the docks so spoils some of the credibility of a great comedy where so much 70s detail is correct.
I'm not sure why PK was chosen for the role but he is to be applauded for his comic rendition of a 70s working class dad. Dads weren't really like that but his behaviour is how many remember their dad and this is supposed to be Danny Baker telling his story from present day.
Pistom said:
London accents are as complex and as different as many other parts of the UK and the area just south of the Thames around Bermondsey was very different to even a couple of miles north.
Indeed. As Londoner, this is spot on. It was very well captured by Hugh Grant, who in Four Weddings / Notting Hill, plays it with a home counties / west London accent, but in About a Boy he's a North Londoner. To me, all people from the North east sound the same, but when during the Yorkshire Ripper case, police were receiving those tapes (which turned out to be hoax), they could narrow it down to a small area of Sunderland.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Loved the P.E. teacher. Reminds me of my school, where the manager of the school team honestly believed lessons, school work, exam revision and the like were just annoying distractions that got in the way of the serious matter of football.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9nDHupVqVwRight down to the same tracksuit
Big fan of this, Dannys told lots of stories before on the radio, seeing them on screen is funny
First couple of episodes were enjoyable, could of descended into blandness, but has got lots better.
Soundtrack is ace, sets it apart from usual mundane sitcoms. Love the few bars of cracking Rock and Funk tracks that creep in all the time, Billy Cobham and Dr John, sounding ace!
I'm a big fan of Peter Kay , but didn't really get into his car sharing comedy. I think he plays the role really well, he accent sounds fine to me (im not an Londoner ) , but his mannerisms and timing are spot on, in fact really good. I'm really taken in by the acting so never think "oh theres Peter Kay". Instead im in stitches at the banter and jokes
Interesting from a historic pov, seening the transformation of the docks (I appreciate its very simplistic)
First couple of episodes were enjoyable, could of descended into blandness, but has got lots better.
Soundtrack is ace, sets it apart from usual mundane sitcoms. Love the few bars of cracking Rock and Funk tracks that creep in all the time, Billy Cobham and Dr John, sounding ace!
I'm a big fan of Peter Kay , but didn't really get into his car sharing comedy. I think he plays the role really well, he accent sounds fine to me (im not an Londoner ) , but his mannerisms and timing are spot on, in fact really good. I'm really taken in by the acting so never think "oh theres Peter Kay". Instead im in stitches at the banter and jokes
Interesting from a historic pov, seening the transformation of the docks (I appreciate its very simplistic)
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