Does your accent...

Does an accent help or hinder? For instance I have a fairly Broad Yorkshire accent. (I know how lucky could I be?) but I do find that when telling certain jokes or discussing certain subjects it impacts on performance. I am not good at voices, I lived in London for 10 years and still have a worse cockney accent than Dick van Dyke, so that is not an option and changing material can lessen it's impact. I cannot think of any successful male stand ups with a Yorkshire accent. I am not asking for help with this co's I'm rubbish anyway, but I do wonder if anyone has any views on this.

I think you'd just sound Northern to most southern audiences. Peter Kay n the like have strongish accents and they do OK. You can phase it out by pronouncing correctly.

Funny accents are funny.

Batley lad eh, thou art but a stones throw from mine dwelling.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ January 18 2011, 4:40 PM GMT

Batley lad eh, thou art but a stones throw from mine dwelling.

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Ching-ching-chow-chow!

The League of Gentlemen are all from up north, some if not all near Yorkshire. Plus Vic and Bob were both born in or on the border of Yorkshire.

It's quite a nice accent really, if they're anything to go by, and it has a great comedy pedigree!

I thought Bob was from Newcastle or summet?

Bob Mortimer's from my neck of the woods. Stockton I believe? Supports Middlesbrough.

Thought he was from Leeds for some reason.

He's from Middlesborough apparently. Isn't that near/in Yorkshire?

I don't know nuffink about maps.

I thought he wss born in Stockton (next door to boro). Middlesbrough was part of North Yorkshire until I think the 80s. About an hour and halfish from Leeds.

Middlesbrough (and indeedy Stockton) are Teesside (north east region).

Not often I get to talk about home! We also have Paul Daniels

It must just be me then. Ah well back to the miming.

Well, The Boy with Tape on his Face is doing rather well! Might be a plan

Thanks Nat but he's more origonal than I am

Frank Skinner, Rhod Gilbert, Billy Connolly, Ross Noble, Jethro, Russell Howard, Dylan Moran.

I think an accent can only help your stand up, it gives you a voice!

I live in the Westcountry and only wish I spoke like a farmer instead of my nondescript voice.

I have a southern Irish accent which I didn't think was overly strong but I submitted a couple of sketches on an American website and some people said they found it hard to understand our accents. My friends accent is fairly strong but I thought mine was mild enough.