A Hungarian guy in "The Archers"

Damian,

yesterday I read an article about a young Hungarian actor, and I realised that he was the bloke you mentioned (he played a Hungarian exchange student in the BBC radio series ’’The Archers”.) He is really Hungarian (you said he had a thoroughly English name). His name is Máté Haumann, and is the son of Péter Haumann, who is an acknowledged actor in Hungary. Máté graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London in 2002, then he immediately got this role in ’’The Archers’’. He claimed that he spoke English without any trace of a foreign accent, and that’s the reason why most people thought he was English, too. I don’t know… I haven’t had the chance of listening to this episode yet, so I can’t decide whether he has a Hungarian accent or not.

Has anyone heard him speak in this episode? Did he REALLY spoke without a foreign accent?

who cares abou that.. .. learning english is more important than confirming such boring things..

That might be boring for you, but I'm interested in my fellow countrymen acting out in English:-))

"That might be boring for you, but I'm interested in my fellow countrymen acting out in English"

Didn't he go to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama? Isn't your friend in actor???

LIZ:

I still await to hear your voice - I promise I will find time to sort out my audio system and micros.

Yes, there are strong connections with Hungary in "The Archers". First of all, that guy from Hungary (the one you mentioned) came over to England (to the mythical village of Ambridge in the mythical South Midlands county of Borsetshire) to work as a temporary farmhand in the village. I didn't know the actor actually was Hungarian, but his English was flawless.

Now one of the farming enterprises in Ambridge has a similar enterprise over in Hungary and the character called Debbie has gone to manage the whole set up over there, as well as interfere with operations back home in England, much to the annoyance of her half-brother Adam, who more or less runs things here, and who suspects that Debbie steals his thunder at every opportunity and continually puts obstacles in his way for her own ulterior motives. However, she had the good grace to come over from Budapest on a flying visit to Ambridge to attend Adam's civil partnership ceremony last month.

Apparently that Hungarian student set many an English female heart a-flutter while he was over here in mythical Ambridge. Yes, his English was flawless. But that's the case with many Continentals - many speak it perfectly and infinitely better than "the natives". So much so that now we have Poles, Czechs, Latvians and perhaps even Hungarians, etc over here teaching the British how to speak English! I hope it's not a lost cause in a good many cases and in a good many places......