Richard Quest-ion

[MTGuru]

Here's a query for you sharp-eared Britons. CNN Interational watchers are probably familiar with on-screen personality Richard Quest. My question is: What exactly is his accent?

According to Wiki, he's originally from Liverpool, and studied in Leeds. But he sounds like neither a Scouser nor a Yorkshireman to me. More like Estuary-influenced RP, but with long long vowels and wide tonal inflection, and a tendency to round the non-rhotic mid-Rs (vewy stwange!) that I've heard in hyper-corrected RP. To an American ear it sounds almost like a caricature.

I once attended a multilingual conference at the EU Hemicycle in Luxembourg, complete with simultaneous headphone interpretation. And I swear that the French interpreter in the booth was Richard Quest. My colleage and I ended up laughing so hard we actually had to leave the room.

So help me understand this speech. Is it an indentifiable accent, or something more idiosyncratic?

(And yes, I know that Mr. Quest is gay, but I don't presume that's any sort of explanation.)

[Innocent Bystander]

Never 'eard of him. But I looked him up on Wiki and Youtube and listened to his accent.

It's not a broad scouser [Liverpool] accent. It might be an upper-crust Liverpool accent - now I come to think of it he does sound a bit like me Auntie Isabel, but she's Birkenhead, loik.

To be honest, I'd say he's got the BBC received pronunciation, which is out of fashion at the moment. More like Hugh Grant [received pronunciation] than Craig Charles [scouser].

But... that bit of husky growl to his voice... could he be a crystal meth user?

[s1m0n]

But... that bit of husky growl to his voice... could he be a crystal meth user?

Dunno. How's he doing for teeth?

[devondancer]

I also had to look him up, I'm afraid. I noticed he pronounces the "g" at the end of "going," for example, as in a Birmingham accent. Beyond that, I go with the BBC received pronunciation, like IB.

[Innocent Bystander]

One of me tutors at Edinburgh had real RP. It is a bit mind-blowing when you hear it in the flesh for the first time. This bloke was a caricature of himself. He pronounced "railway": "rallway". He used to wear striped shirts with plain collars and expensive suits with red braces(suspenders). And I'd guess he had about a 48" waist.

And one of my female friends told a tale about the time he invited her into the staff union, and ended up chasing her around a table... ...that was about the price of him.

[Nanohedron]

But... that bit of husky growl to his voice... could he be a crystal meth user?

Is that irony or a lucky guess?

Quest Arrest

[MTGuru]

Thanks all, so far. I guess his accent is mostly an exaggerated RP, with a bit of personal exuberance thrown in. To my ear, he still sounds distinct from other garden variety BBC presenters or, say, actors I associate with RP.

As for the "incident" ... There but for the grace of god go we. Well, maybe not.

[The Weekenders]

Is that the guy that got arrested in the park with the drugs????

Actual person aside, what a great name.

Editing in to answer myself, check it out, he's like Kwai Chang Caine hisownselff:

[linkie]