Inspector Frost in the north?

[allen ives]

Andy Hughes tells us that A Touch of Frost is supposed to be set in Lancashire, and mainly filmed in Yorkshire. So how come a northern accent on the show is about as rare as hen's teeth? Or am I expecting too much.... Allen

[andy hughes]

It is common for regional accents to be 'smoothed out' in television dramas - this is to allow maximum saleability, not only in other areas of this country, but also abroad. Using 'correct' accents causes two problems - the aforementioned reluctance to buy a series for transmission in other areas, or countries, and if the accent is only slightly inaccurate, a common problem when using actors not native to the area, locals complain loud and long that accents are incorrect. As a native of Stoke-on-Trent, I laughed along with others at the attempts at 'local' accents used when Arnold Bennet's 'Clayhanger' was filmed here - then again, using accents from the period would have rendered the series unintelligable for all but the more senior local citizens who remember the broad local dailect used at that time.