What accent is this?

Guext   Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:51 pm GMT
There's two commentators, the second starts to speak at 0:22, then you can hear both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLZAmbunAVA

Both Australian? Or what? If it's Australian, is that kind of Australian so different from British RP-like accents? It doesn't seem very different to me.
Tom   Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:18 am GMT
The second (0:22) guy appears to speak RP. The first one sounds RP with Scottish(?) influences (occasional hard R). If they are Australian, they sure don't sound like it.
Guext   Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:37 am GMT
I only thought of Australian English because that race was in Australia. I really have no idea what accent it could be, although it sounds like a kind of RP to me.
111222111   Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:47 am GMT
first one doesnt sound aussi at all. RP sounds close.

second not aussi either... kinda west county to me, though ive a bad ear for uk accents
AJC   Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:24 pm GMT
Apparently they're both from Merseyside, though I'd not have guessed it. The first sounds significantly more northern than the second.
Steak 'n' Chips   Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:47 pm GMT
They're definitely English accents. Not Scorttish, and not Australian. One has some slgihtly northern vowels occasionally ("oo" vowel in much"). If they're from Merseyside, they've lost their Scouse accents to the point of it being unidentifiable. Perhaps that's where the remnant trilled R comes from, but a trilled R is not unique to Merseyside in English accents: check 1950's RP and you'll hear a trilled R as standard.

I suppose an artificial RP is still practiced by some television commentators, unfortunately. On of my former college friends is now a radio sports commentator, and hearing his radio voice in place of his normal light Leicestershire lilt is truly cringeworthy.