Dropping 'Gs' at the BBC

[Blue One]

Big debate on LBC this morning about Digby Jones tweeting his irritation at BBC commentator Alex Scott dropping her 'Gs' during Olympics commentary.

Listening to Digby on LBC he made clear that he was not attacking Alex's accent (I have never head her, but it appears she has an East End accent), but her enunciation of words and grammar. He then made the point (correctly as far as I am aware), that in France or Germany this would be a non-debate as people value their language and want it spoken correctly. Yet, the whole debate on LBC (and, as I understand it elsewhere), went into the usual knicker-wetting hysteria about attacking this presenter's accent, elitism and all the usual baggage one hears these days when anyone criticises anyone 'incorrectly'.

My view is that if I am given the job of a presenter, no matter what my background, I need to be professional, and provide a high standard to service to the viewer or listener I am addressing. To that end, speaking and pronouncing words correctly is surely part of that service, and something the BBC should be ensuring it's presenters provide.

Any issues with this on PH?

[anonymous-user]

Fat posh bloke who looks a wrong un should shut up methinks.

[klan8456]

Anyone on TV on the BBC should be speaking in a BBC world service manner. If the official broadcaster of English can’t get English right, what hope does anyone else have?

See Jacob Rees-Mogg for the gold standard to which we should all aspire.

Outside of the official government broadcaster, well then go nuts.

[Sheepshanks]

I've watched the programme quite a bit and get a sense that half the time Clare Balding is thinking "WTF are you on about?" when Alex is speaking.

[bitchstewie]

If you're a presenter especially for a public broadcaster there's a good argument that you should reflect the audience that you serve.

That audience isn't just old fat white peers.

It seems a strange battle to pick in 2021.

[Radec]

Wait till Harry Kane hangs up his boots and starts doing Match of the Day.

They'll really have something to complain about.

[Biggy Stardust]

bhstewie said:

If you're a presenter especially for a public broadcaster there's a good argument that you should reflect the audience that you serve.

If you're a presenter especially for a public broadcaster there's a good argument that you should uphold standards.

[anonymous-user]

Presenting is conveying information and entertaining.

Dropping “g”s doesn’t obscure the information or detract from entertainment.

Complete non issue, of the “old man shouts at clouds and yearns for the olden days” variety.

[tangerine_sedge]

Seeing that English is a living language and has mutated over time, what exactly is 'proper' English? RP is just a Johnny-come-lately, and I think any changes since the middle ages are an abomination.

[WindyCommon]

Blue One said:

My view is that if I am given the job of a presenter, no matter what my background, I need to be professional, and provide a high standard to service to the viewer or listener I am addressing. To that end, speaking and pronouncing words correctly is surely part of that service, and something the BBC should be ensuring it's presenters provide.

Any issues with this on PH?

You have this completely wrong. The presenters are there to represent the different groups with which the BBC is obsessed. Competence at presenting is a secondary attribute.

[Biggy Stardust]

From Idiocracy:

"But the English language had deteriorated into a hybrid of hillbilly, valley girl, inner city slang, and various grunts."

[bitchstewie]

Biggy Stardust said:

bhstewie said:

If you're a presenter especially for a public broadcaster there's a good argument that you should reflect the audience that you serve.

If you're a presenter especially for a public broadcaster there's a good argument that you should uphold standards.

Standards?

Where's the threads on Alan Shearer being a geordie or countless other presenters with regional accents?

At best it's snobbery.

[Rufus Stone]

BlackWidow13 said:

Presenting is conveying information and entertaining.

Dropping “g”s doesn’t obscure the information or detract from entertainment.

Complete non issue, of the “old man shouts at clouds and yearns for the olden days” variety.

Hmmm, dropping the 'g' is irritating to some and therefore detracts from the entertainment.

[anonymous-user]

Radec said:

Wait till Harry Kane hangs up his boots and starts doing Match of the Day.

They'll really have something to complain about.

Yes, I thought Alex Scott was actually pretty well-spoken compared to some of the other former professional footballers on TV.

[Biggy Stardust]

bhstewie said:

Standards?

Where's the threads on Alan Shearer being a geordie or countless other presenters with regional accents?

At best it's snobbery.

I see no issue with expecting broadcasters to speak properly.

Innit.

[Earthdweller]

klan8456 said:

Anyone on TV on the BBC should be speaking in a BBC world service manner. If the official broadcaster of English can’t get English right, what hope does anyone else have?

See Jacob Rees-Mogg for the gold standard to which we should all aspire.

Outside of the official government broadcaster, well then go nuts.

bks

[Teddy Lop]

If your job is essentially "talking" at a professional level you should do it exactly right.

Add to this the number of Motorsport commentators who don't bother with the correct pronunciation of Johnny foreigners names, winds my Mrs right up.

[bristolracer]

Personally I'd sack her and Claire Balding for being crap presenters, accent or not

[BrabusMog]

He does make a good point about Germans valuing their language, I speak German and was doing a daily update to one of our customers and they requested a “native” speaker to replace me it made me laugh because I thought to myself if an English customer asked the same thing it would probably be considered racist / xenophobic.

[bitchstewie]

She does speak properly.

What next no Welsh accents or Asian accents or Scottish accents?

Give over it's ridiculous.