The hubris of Today presenters.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Callistemon

Tbh have never heard of Amol Rajan and don’t listen to Today either, but like to watch University Challenge and don’t like the sound of this presenter at all.
Was hoping for somebody to take over who has a clear voice.
Am sick and tired of presenters who think the whole point of an interview is for themselves to grandstand.

He used to be the BBC Media Editor Oreo, so was always in TV interviewing celebs and reporting on media and arts.
He has always gabbled and he realises that as he had a notice on his desk saying "Slow the F*CK DOWN"
He needs to have it in front of him all the time.

Amol on Twitter 5 years ago:

Genuinely grateful to all the people who have said nicely, or often, that I need to slow down when doing radio. I probably do talk too fast. Will do my utmost to slow down on #R4MediaShow at 16.30 on @BBCRadio4
As ever grateful for constructive feedback

I guess I might recognise him on tv without knowing his name.
If he knows he should slow down then, time for him to actually do that by now.
I didn’t think anyone could be more annoying than Peston, but maybe this guy is the one.😁

Well, I like Amal. I like his conversational style and his courtesy towards people around him. I am pleased that he seems to be relaxing into his role on the Today programme after a very nervous start.

I did get very tired of the confrontational Brian Redhead and, more recently, John Humphreys, though I appreciate they both enunciated clearly and precisely.

I didn't hear Today this morning. I'll find it on catchup and listen in.

Well, I hope he props that notice in front of him when he hosts UC!

Yammy

Fleurpepper

Of course- but most spoke their own language at home, and had to make a conscius effort, at school, to acquire RP in order to succeed.

I don't think that applies to just Asian, African or people from other countries. It applied until recently to British people as well. We all have to moderate our accents when we visit another part of the country.
Someone I went to school with Read the news for Look North from Leeds she certainly did not speak the way she did when at school. DH went to school with a chap who was a newsreader for Boarder T.V. he had certainly changed his accent from the local one.

Totally- you need however to follow the whole thread. I said this, and was told that was a very old fashioned idea, that no longer applies currently. I replied that it still does for presenters from other countries. It's OK if you are a comedian, an actor, but not for a presenter.

Asian students (and others who would speak another language or more at home) would have to adapt several times over.

Again, could someone please give me an example of an Asian TV presenter who has a non soft modern British RP?

two of my posts have been deleted, and I have had no notification from GN and I have NO idea why.

In my opinion lixy his "conversational" style is always about him (and also lacks gravitas).

His "courtesy" towards people comes over as pushy and fake to me - he does this sometimes by apologising in a totally insincere way (which makes me think he's selfish) then he grinds on with his chat irrespective.

He is regularly patronising
I regularly find myself wincing.

NotSpaghetti I totally agree. When he first started I thought that he was something of a breath of fresh air, but rather than growing into the role, he seems to be getting worse.
A previous poster mentioned JH and BR. I find him far worse than Humphries.
He isn’t adversarial, he just sounds petulant.
In fact, he made something of a fool of himself yesterday with Starmer

I heard the Amol Rajan interview with Starmer that DaysyAnne refers to in her OP. I found AR’s style rude and hectoring. I’m all for rigorous interviews of politicians but this stepped over the line for me. I was hoping to understand more about the key 5 areas planned by the LP. Starmer was interrupted so often, I wondered if Rajan is anti Labour. I’m sure he isn’t but this combative style shuts people down. He needs to understand, it’s not all about you being clever and combative Rajan.

Fleurpepper, your posts can only have been deleted if they broke guidelines. You know that very well.

What do you hope to achieve by demanding posters identify interviewers with Asian accents? Your experience of ‘1000’s’ of students alongside living in a family with immigrants doesn’t give you superior knowledge. We are a country full of immigrants. We’d be hard pressed in my area to find a family without immigrant history or members

Fleurpepper

Your messages were deleted because they obviously breached GN Guidlines

silverlining48

Neal Nuness might be the person you mean. He's on R4. I remember there were complaints about his west indian (?) accent initially but I thought it was rather nice.

Neil Nunes. I mentioned him early doors.
He was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1980, and grew up in Manchester

Regarding presenters' accents, we started off with RP only, and eventually included more and more regional accents. So now we have accents from all over the UK and I would suggest that most people would rather keep it that way.

There are two aspects to the way people speak, one being their accent and the other being the clarity of their pronunciation. If we start having presenters with accents from all over the world it is likely that people won't understand them unless they speak very clearly. Not many people do have the skill to project their voice in a crisp and clear manner.

So what is this obsession with Asian accents Fleurpepper? Why shouldn't the UK have presenters with UK accents so that the viewers can understand them? If someone wishes to work in broadcasting then they have to achieve the required standards and that includes the way they speak.

I too was taken aback by Amol Rajan's style of interviewing when he tried to take Kier Starmer apart. Not that I think he could really hold a candle to the forensic ability of such an experienced KC.
And, by the way, I was, for many years an English teacher who taught hundreds of mature students. I never forgot a book I once read - 'Teaching on Equal Terms' by Jennifer Rogers, now long out of print, but still fixed in my memory. I rest my case.

Chestnut

Regarding presenters' accents, we started off with RP only, and eventually included more and more regional accents. So now we have accents from all over the UK and I would suggest that most people would rather keep it that way.

There are two aspects to the way people speak, one being their accent and the other being the clarity of their pronunciation. If we start having presenters with accents from all over the world it is likely that people won't understand them unless they speak very clearly. Not many people do have the skill to project their voice in a crisp and clear manner.

So what is this obsession with Asian accents Fleurpepper? Why shouldn't the UK have presenters with UK accents so that the viewers can understand them? If someone wishes to work in broadcasting then they have to achieve the required standards and that includes the way they speak.

Ah thanks- yes, this is what I am saying.

Has anyone yet seen Amol Rajan interviewing Bill Gates? That was absolutely fascinating. I thought AR asked many interesting questions but eventually asked some very personal ones and BG shut him down. I wonder what he thought of him.

GrannyGravy13

Fleurpepper

Your messages were deleted because they obviously breached ^GN Guidlines^

But they truly did NOT, that is my point.

Fleurpepper

Chestnut

Regarding presenters' accents, we started off with RP only, and eventually included more and more regional accents. So now we have accents from all over the UK and I would suggest that most people would rather keep it that way.

There are two aspects to the way people speak, one being their accent and the other being the clarity of their pronunciation. If we start having presenters with accents from all over the world it is likely that people won't understand them unless they speak very clearly. Not many people do have the skill to project their voice in a crisp and clear manner.

So what is this obsession with Asian accents Fleurpepper? Why shouldn't the UK have presenters with UK accents so that the viewers can understand them? If someone wishes to work in broadcasting then they have to achieve the required standards and that includes the way they speak.

Ah thanks- yes, this is what I am saying.

I don't think it is what you're saying. You are asking why there are no presenters with Asian accents, as if there should be. Or at least that is how it came across. I have just explained why there are no presenters with worldwide accents.

NOT at all, not I am saying- totally the opposite.

I said that people with regional accents had to 'lose' them to get jobs in TV (not acting but presenting). I was told this was a thing of the past and no longer the case. Although there are now many actors, and presenters of some shows, who do have a strong regional accent. But not really on the news. And this is doubly so for anyone from an immigrant background.

Well I agree that the most important thing for a TV presenter is their diction and their style. Viewers in the UK must be able to understand them and that means speaking clearly with a UK accent which is not strongly regional.

Chestnut
The same for listeners to the bbc world service. Can you imagine ( let’s take an Inuit) tuning in to a broad Newcastle, West Country, Devon etc accents.
Why are there no air traffic controller’s with a broad regional accent. Chestnut explained why.

Yes, I agree. You are totally misunderstanding what I am saying, and not for the first time.

annodomini

I too was taken aback by Amol Rajan's style of interviewing when he tried to take Kier Starmer apart. Not that I think he could really hold a candle to the forensic ability of such an experienced KC.
And, by the way, I was, for many years an English teacher who taught hundreds of mature students. I never forgot a book I once read - 'Teaching on Equal Terms' by Jennifer Rogers, now long out of print, but still fixed in my memory. I rest my case.

Thank you for this. I have never read it and will try and get a copy.

I started to watch something promising last night but the heavy regional accents were impossible to understand. Could not access subtitles so had to switch off. Disappointing but this seems to be becoming more frequent.