Why are Gandalf and Leonidas British? The Curious Case of British Accents in Historical and Fantasy Films

There's been a lot of ink, both real and digital, spilled pondering this phenomenon, so it's unlikely my observations will add any real insights into this, but I would like to explore it a bit here. I recently watched the entire first series of MTV's (I know, I was surprised, too) television adaptation of Terry … Continue reading Why are Gandalf and Leonidas British? The Curious Case of British Accents in Historical and Fantasy Films

A Black Country Nativity (Michael Prescott, 1968)

The following was originally published in the British Regional newspaper, The Express & Star, in 1968, by Michael Prescott, a Sunday School teacher who had moved to England's Black Country region, and was taken by the region's dialect.  He had his students tell Bible stories in their own words, and recorded them as follows: There was … Continue reading A Black Country Nativity (Michael Prescott, 1968)