Yup, it is his way of speaking and no it is not a regional accent thing.
That said, there is a regional aspect to this in that there is a type of London accent, blue collar mainly, does have this aspect.
The show ‘Only fools and horses’ shows it up well, and given the ability of the actors, especially David Jason, and the production teams which employs someone largely to ensure authenticity of speech for the charactors then I’d say that this is a good representation.
Jonathon Ross, the tv presenter and chat show host is somewhat famous for not being able to pronounce his own name correctly, as his R’s become W’s, he has a slight London accent, but I’d guees those from ‘The Smoke’ was say this accent is very mild, us Northerners can detect it easily though.
Ayuh, I think it’s just a comic voice that he’s developed.
In the Rik Mayall Presents series, which leaned a little more to the dramatic side than his usual work, his enunciation was usually clear. (He played different characters in each installment.)
I remember years ago Rik appeared on the David Letterman show. Explaining The Young Ones to Letterman, who obviously knew nothing about it, Mayall noted that he played … “W’ik”. My g/f adores him (she lovedDrop Dead Fred) and refers to him exclusively as W’ik. (Not sure if that’s the exact spelling, mind.)
I have heard this peculiarity elsewhere; Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks comes to mind for some reason. So it’s a London thing then?
Rick from The Young Ones, Richard Richard from Bottom, and Richie Rich from Filthy, Rich, and Catflap, each have slightly different degrees of speech impediment, ranging from occasional, to not at all.
OH! **Vanilla/b]! You were a quad bike in a previous life?
As for the accent/impediment thing, I don’t htink I can say for sure. I’ll say it is a bit more ccommon in the south of England, though, so accent might be a good bit of the explanation.
Ahd, haha, I just knew that Jonothan Woss would have to get a mention here. Likewise, (going back rather a few yars) a political interviewer named Bwian Walden.
Maybe he has a slight speech impediment as well? Is he from London? I’ve never really heard him in an interview so wouldn’t know what his ‘real’ voice is like but as far as I remember he has a pretty distinct voice - not easily placed as a particular region and more likely to be peculiar to him IMHO.
Terry Jones is very much Welsh. It’s mentioned alot in all of the Python-related things I’ve read and seen. They attribute his screechy yelling to him being Welsh.
He’s done some documentary shows for the History Channel, one of them being the history of sex. He definitely “slurrs” his R’s on that show. Exactly like Rik in the Young Ones.
I’ve been watching some of “Bottom” with Mayall, and he doesn’t slur as much as in the Young Ones, but it’s definitely there. Also, in the episode “Time” of The Young Ones, in the beginning he plays an American Oil Tycoon and he’s got the “American Accent” down pat. So he can definitely do voices and turn off the slur.
Ah well. I will continued to be fascinated and awed by that which is Rik
I think it’s reasonably clear that Rik Mayall is putting it on, however, in general I think it is an impediment rather than an accent. I know or have heard a number of people from various different parts of the world with a similar affliction.
