# Anthony J Crowley in Good Omens **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839 "2020-03-03T01:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/1 "2020-03-03T01:42:32Z")
When Crowley speaks, how would you characterize David Tennant’s accent? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/2 "2020-03-03T02:14:07Z")
Hellish. With an overlay of Yorkshire. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/3 "2020-03-03T03:02:01Z")
Yorkshire? doesn’t seem right. Hell? obviously! ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/4 "2020-03-03T04:34:14Z")
Well, I’m no expert but I think he clearly spent a lot of time roaming the Stygian Wastes. But if you listen closely, from time to time you can hear the echo of his original home in the Blessed Halls of Elysium - before he fell into Hell obviously. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/5 "2020-03-03T08:52:18Z")
I’d characterize it as “Southern Bastard” (as opposed to “Southern Pansy”) More seriously, it’s a lower-class London-ish accent. Definitely _not_ Yorkshire. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/6 "2020-03-03T13:50:47Z")
It seemed to me to be a generic “dissolute English rockstar” accent. Jagger, Richards, maybe Bowie influences? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/7 "2020-03-03T13:52:18Z")
It seemed to me to be a generic “dissolute English rockstar” accent. Jagger, Richards, maybe Bowie influences? ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/8 "2020-03-03T15:00:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ecks](#): > > It seemed to me to be a generic “dissolute English rockstar” accent. Jagger, Richards, maybe Bowie influences? yes, for sure. that mumbley talk. > [@MrDibble](#): > > More seriously, it’s a lower-class London-ish accent. > > Definitely _not_ Yorkshire. hmmm, yet not at all East End. he clenches his teeth a lot, kind of like Thurston Howell the Third, you know? like a layer of posh or something. interesting mix, anyway. this is such a useless detail to wonder about I’m surprised there isn’t more info on the internet about it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/9 "2020-03-03T15:29:33Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > hmmm, yet not at all East End. No, nothing of that kidney. But the teeth-clenching doesn’t read as _posh_, to me. More like “Druggy” - bruxism is very much something I associate with both coke and speed. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/10 "2020-03-03T18:22:07Z")
He uses a similar accent to the one he used as the Tenth Doctor. Somebody once told me that was Estuary English. Here’s a video with a Ten cosplayer [explaining how to do this accent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8oYM-Gt6w). ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/11 "2020-03-04T00:16:59Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > He uses a similar accent to the one he used as the Tenth Doctor. Somebody once told me that was Estuary English. > > Here’s a video with a Ten cosplayer [explaining how to do this accent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8oYM-Gt6w). Excellent! maybe it is Estuary English, I can’t tell. thanks for the link 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/12 "2020-03-04T00:56:45Z")
It’s a very casual posh Received Pronunciation accent. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/13 "2020-03-04T05:27:31Z")
No, it’s not RP. It slides a little bit too much towards Cockney at times for that. [Listen](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=469327680572116)to how he says _I_ and _him_. Estuary (as loose as that classification is) is pretty accurate. He’s at the posher, RP-adjacent side of it, but that’s not RP. \*Aziraphale \*has an RP accent (although the Welsh comes out sometimes - listen to him saying “some other way of locating him” in that clip above) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/14 "2020-03-04T12:36:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No, it’s not RP. It slides a little bit too much towards Cockney at times for that. [Listen](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=469327680572116)to how he says _I_ and _him_. Estuary (as loose as that classification is) is pretty accurate. He’s at the posher, RP-adjacent side of it, but that’s not RP. To me it sounds like RP but with a handful of Cockney features. The vowels, vocal quality, etc., sound like dead on RP to me. I also don’t hear any Estuary features. I’d call it an RP speaker trying to sound cool by adopting a few working class peonnncuations. “Posh rock star” is a pretty good description. But I’m no expert. I’m open to being corrected. > [@](#): > > \*Aziraphale \*has an RP accent (although the Welsh comes out sometimes - listen to him saying “some other way of locating him” in that clip above) I have expressed the wish that they should have let them do their natural accents. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/15 "2020-03-04T13:45:58Z")
well, whatever it’s called it certainly _works_. Even though I am a fan of Doctor Who I never get distracted by Tennant’s performance: I totally believe he is Crowley 100% of the time. and Micheal Sheen is that good, too. I hope they make a second series. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/16 "2020-03-04T20:29:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To me it sounds like RP but with a handful of Cockney features. […] I also don’t hear any Estuary features. “RP with Cockney features” \*is \* basically Estuary. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/17 "2020-03-04T21:21:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “RP with Cockney features” \*is \* basically Estuary. When I think of Estuary, I think of accents like this Russell Brand – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUjo99Gzbk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUjo99Gzbk) Amy Winehouse – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VPc0PLiRNI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VPc0PLiRNI) Jamie Oliver – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlK\_Q7Torlg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlK_Q7Torlg) They don’t sound like RP speakers who have adopted some Cockney features. Crowley in “Good Omens” sounds very posh, aside from a few Cockney features. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anthony-j-crowley-in-good-omens/848839/18 "2020-03-05T10:06:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > When I think of Estuary, I think of accents like this > > Russell Brand – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUjo99Gzbk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUjo99Gzbk) > > Amy Winehouse – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VPc0PLiRNI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VPc0PLiRNI) > > Jamie Oliver – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlK\_Q7Torlg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlK_Q7Torlg) > > They don’t sound like RP speakers who have adopted some Cockney features. Yes, they’re from the “Cockney, with some R.P. features” end of the Estuary spectrum (in fact, I’d say Amy Winehouse wasn’t Estuary at all.) Because it is a spectrum. Someone like [Ricky Gervais](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpJrmI_yc4A) is still Estuary but less Cockney. > [@](#): > > Crowley in “Good Omens” sounds very posh, aside from a few Cockney features. I dispute the “very” bit, he’s not displaying any of what I think of as the characteristics of really high-end RP. And you do realise you’re just saying “posh, but with non-posh features”, right?