R.P by Rosemary Berkon

NSEA

rosemaryberkon — 2021-10-06 12:58:39 UTC

The acting industry still demands a 'Neutral' Standard English Accent which can also be referred to as 'New Standard English'. It aims to unify everyone without placing them in terms of age, class or region. The accent we would consider ‘standard’ today is the one we hear being used by actors such as David Tennant, Janet McTeer or Kenneth Branagh.

Beyond the standard

rosemaryberkon — 2021-10-06 13:01:26 UTC

We know that accents don’t exist in a vacuum: they are made by living, breathing communities, subject to the vagaries of history, politics, peer pressure, climate, culture, economics and more. Putting any accent into its historical, geographical and cultural context is an important step towards owning it and making it real.

So, if a New Standard English Accent is not ‘Posh’, what is? Next we explore different varieties of Standard English which come from the upper and upper middle classes…

Inspired by the 'How to Do Accents series' by Edda Sharpe and Jan Haydn Rowles

Traditional RP

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:15:58 UTC

‘The catch-all accent’

– Upper middle class, not overly eccentric sound.

- Accent was born of the accent of the upper class of the turn of the 20th century. This in turn was influenced by the accents of the Royal family and associated aristocracy. - 1714- 1901

– British Royal Family were from the House of Hanover and many only spoke ‘High’ German or Hanoverian German. This will have had a profound effect on their English pronunciation.

- Accent formalized in 1920s – became standard until 1970s

Examples: Judi Dench, Felicity Kendal, Joanna Lumley, Leo McKern, Geoffrey Palmer, James Robertson Justice, Prunella Scales, Peter Ustinov, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle (Pygmalion)

Imperial Lords and Ladies

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:19:14 UTC

- Older upper classes

– speaks of old money, strong lineage and privilege.

- Focus is on the vowels more than the consonants. Consonants are clearly made but relatively soft. There is less pressure than those of the Military variety.

- No hurry, just as in the lifestyle, everything has a rhythm, a time and a place.

Examples: Harold Macmillan, Jeremy Thorpe, Iris Murdoch, Margaret Rutherford, Donald Sinden, Virginia Woolf, Violet Crawley (Downton Abbey), Lord Stockbridge (Gosford Park). Lady Bracknell (The Importance of Being Earnest)

The majority of Coward, Bernard Shaw, Rattigan, Wilde, Harley Granville-Barker and the like will have characters suitable for this variety.

Military Matrons and Landed Gentry

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:21:16 UTC

- ‘Stuff and nonsense’ brigade.

- More pragmatic and practical view of the world than the Lords and Ladies.

- Tradition, order, discipline!

People: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Miss Marple, Admiral Boom (Mary Poppins), Margaret Rutherford, Baroness Mary Warnock, Barbara Woodhouse

Debs, Dandies and Bright Young Things

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:27:42 UTC

- Sexy, sensual, self- indulgent.

- Heard in British actors during the “Hollywood’ years of the 1950s.

- A generation caught between the horrors of The First World War and the looming disaster of the Second World War. They emerged as ‘live for today’ hedonists.

- Used privilege to live a life of indulgence, parties and champagne.

- Breaking free from Victorian parents.

- Use slang expressions and nursery nicknames: “I’m awfully sorry, Piggy”, “Ghastly party loops”

Examples: Anthony Andrews, Diana Dors, Fenella Fielding, Nigel Havers, Cordelia in Brideshead Revisited (Phoebe Nicholls), Lord Goring & Mabel Chiltern (An Ideal Husband), Sorrel Bliss (Hay Fever), Felicity Rumpers (Habeus Corpus).

Wartime Wendies and BBC Berties

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:31:32 UTC

- The expanding middle class dedicated to self-improvement.

- First generation grown up listening to the BBC.

- Think stiff upper lip/ keep calm and carry on mentality

Examples: Celia Johnson, John Snagge, John Mills, Sylvia Peters, Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins, Sheila Sim, Cyril Raymond, Clement Attlee, Raymond Glendenning (BBC commentator and sports announcer), RAF Pilots (Armstrong and Miller comedy sketch show), many characters in The Cruel Sea, The Dambusters, The 39 Steps. Charles Condomine and Ruth (Blithe Spirit), Mollie Ralston (The Mousetrap)

The Original Sloane Rangers

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:34:17 UTC

- 1980s rise of Thatcher

– Young Tories. Wealth and status were back in fashion.

- This set would socialize in the Sloane Square area of London.

- Unlike their parents, many of this generation had to work to earn money. This gave rise to the ‘work hard play hard’ mentality. - Fast Cars. Champagne. Big Hair.

Examples: Diana Princess of Wales, Earl Spencer, Liz Hurley, Kristin Scott Thomas, Helena Bonham

Carter, Richard E. Grant, Marlene (Top Girls, Caryl Churchill), the Riot Club in Posh (Laura Wade)

The 21st Century ‘New Wave’ Regular Set

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:42:37 UTC

- Upper middle class. No noticeable airs and graces. Relaxed.

- Can be heard from the Armed Forces to the City.

Examples: Prince William, Prince Edward, Dominic West, Sam West, Matthew Macfadyen, Anna

Chancellor, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Emily Blunt, Boris Johnson, Emma Watson.

Chelsea Set

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:43:17 UTC

- Contemporary breed of Sloane Ranger.

- Adds a ‘dose of cool’ to their sound from West Coast American influences. - Very comfortable with their class.

Examples: Most of the people in Made In Chelsea, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Sarah Beeny, Tamara and Petra Ecclestone.

Shoreditch Set

rosemaryberkon — 2022-04-26 15:43:50 UTC

- Speakers usually trying to blend in with colleagues from mixed social backgrounds.

- Add ‘cool’ with East London sounds.

- Can be heard in the world of the armed forces and sports, and a variety of this accent can even be heard among young royals!

Examples: Ellie Kendrick, Zara Phillips, Prince Harry, Matt Smith, Olly Alexander.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

rosemaryberkon — 2022-05-05 12:03:40 UTC

Old Stage Standard

rosemaryberkon — 2022-05-05 12:04:50 UTC

R.P

rosemaryberkon — 2024-02-29 15:39:05 UTC

Elizabeth Tan

rosemaryberkon — 2024-09-03 14:57:28 UTC

Jameela Jamil

rosemaryberkon — 2025-05-06 13:47:55 UTC

Modern R.P

rosemaryberkon — 2025-05-06 13:57:28 UTC

The following videos show different varieties of what we could call a 'modern R.P' with a few distinct differences but share similarities in forward placement and open vowel sounds. Note the wide variety here in changes of lived experience but a sense of clarity, perhaps from the context of 'an interview' and also the speaker's profession as actors.

This accent is not necessarily a marker of class as it has been passed down through the media from 'traditional R.P' which means it is widespread accross many professional speakers/performer's and presenter's.

Noma Dumezweni

rosemaryberkon — 2025-05-06 13:58:39 UTC

Neutral Standard English KIT list and Arthur the Rat

rosemaryberkon — 2026-04-09 18:44:46 UTC

Shoreditch set- Male

rosemaryberkon — 2026-04-09 18:47:51 UTC

Shoreditch set- Female

rosemaryberkon — 2026-04-09 18:48:09 UTC

Sloane Ranger- ATR

rosemaryberkon — 2026-04-09 18:49:10 UTC