Nicola Bryant on Faking It Convincingly | Doctor Who
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Doctor Who actress Nicola Bryant talks about her time on the show with nobody knowing she wasn't really an American.
See the full episode here - • Guest Nicola Bryant on...
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Glad I’m alive at the same time as Nicola was. Lovely human she is 💕
Agreed
Her accent itself is very good but the writers kept a lot of Anglican syntax that made it easier to tell she wasn’t American. I’m glad she was chosen under auspices and they didn’t settle on a Canadian
Eh?
I noticed the occasional use of UK English, but it didn't faze me. Unlike the Red Dwarf USA pilot, which would throw off just about everyone watching it.
Back when I first saw her episodes, I thought she was an American who had been living in the UK for a while. In those days before TV was available everywhere, I noticed that North Americans on UK shows started shifting their vowels to a more UK pronunciation (especially A) after a while. Hearing Peri, I just wrote it off as that. When I heard Nicola's regular accent, I was blown away.
Me too!
As a person who grew up more on UK shows than American, I resemble that remark! ❤😊
Nicola (for me) has a very convincing American accent. Very talented.
She sure is.
Her accent was perfect but sometimes the writers would give her lines that an American wouldn't say. So you'd have an American character saying things like "you lot".
As an American, the name Nicola would have gotten to me; there aren't very many women named Nicola over here. Much more common in Britain. But the accent (kind of a Midwestern one) was very good, and convincing. It's called acting. Then and now, she's still quite lovely.
I have often wondered how she sounds to an American.
When I first saw her as Peri in Doctor Who, I really thought she was from the United States. Nicola Bryant was my favourite WHO companion before Karen Gillan.
She really is a wonderful actress.
As an American, I feel like Nicola Bryant was a pretty convincing American on TV, like I love Peri: she's one of my favorite classic who companions: next to Ace, SJS, and Romana I.
Very convincing yes.
Nicola Bryant is always a pleasure to see (and hear) perform as well as her interviews and convention appearances. I just saw her in The Wilds and she was absolutely brilliant and quite hilarious.
Growing up in the 80's I assumed she was American. I love hearing her story about having to pretend to actually be American through the Doctor Who auditions and then during her stint on the show since her agent was never willing to admit she was British. In her interview with Matthew Sweet she mentions that she started dialing back her accent in some situations such as her first Breakfast Time interview when she had won the part. I think there are even more layers to this story that I hope Nicola will share someday.
On the Season 22 and 23 Bluray collections released over the last couple years, I came across two bonus materials on the discs with her speaking in her British accent while she was still working on the show. The first is some studio footage taken during the production of The Two Doctors. It's called Convention Message and it's right after they finish the last scene of the episode. After they wrap the scene they reposition cameras and equipment and Nicola stands on the stairs while everyone is moving things around. You hear her say hello to someone and "alright" and states "I don't know my lines for this". All of this is in her British accent. Then she's joined by Frazer Hines and quietly tells him "no I can't move over, I was told to stand here" in what sounds like it could be her American Peri voice. The two of them then make "apologies" that they won't be at an upcoming convention due to being on holiday. Here Nicola is in full-on American accent while Frazer has dropped his Scottish accent. It's really an adorable clip to watch.
In the Season 23 Collection there's another Breakfast Time clip on the Mindwarp disc. It's a short clip when Nicola, John Nathan Turner, and Janet Fielding. The hostess interviews Janet first and she sounds positively British! I had to look her up again to see that she really was an Australian actress. Then they move to John Nathan Turner. Finally they bring on Nicola and show a scene from (the upcoming at that time) Mindwarp stating it will be her last for the show. Nicola makes no attempt to hide her British accent here. It made me wonder, if JNT really didn't know she was British at that point and was sitting on the sofa in total shock. I rather suspect she had dialed her accent back bit by bit over time. I figured she probably could have claimed at the time that she had just picked up a British accent after living in the UK for the 3 years while working on the show. Who knows but I'd love to hear more!
She certainly is always a pleasure to see, and talk to.
I have to admit I thought Nicola was American for awhile. Hearing her British accent is so strange lol
Same here.
As a kid in the US watching Doctor Who, I couldn't tell the difference between any of the accents. I didn't even believe my dad at first when he told me the show was British.
She ""lazenbeyed" her way up the chain 😅
She’s sweet and pretty.
I just rewatched Planet of Fire that I really don't remember ever watching all the way thru, paying special attention to Nicola's dialect. I personally think that she struggled with it on that story but later it became more comfortable with it. Back in the day when I was a teen in the mid 80s, I believe I was convinced she was an American until told otherwise. So I really am impressed with her accent work especially at such a young age.
Saying “ring” instead of “phone” is a dead giveaway I reckon
Nobody says phone either so either one is a dead giveaway. Lol
true
Someone please link to videos of those breakfast interviews where she's trying to half hide the accent.
Yes!!
It is odd hearing Nicola talking in her own accent,I thought the same thing with James Masters the first time hearing him talk in his own accent,thinking,why is he talking in an American accent,it just sounded so odd.And Nicola went to the Drama school in the town where I live.
Cool!
Brilliant in Blackadder
Yep very funny 😁
I could tell right away she wasn't American. Vowels elongated, unnaturally loud at times and a bit too brash, clearly compensating. Great fun, but I can't believe she fooled them so long. 😄
Fair enough!
I remember wondering at the time why "American" Peri was pronouncing some words like she was English...only then to read a bit later that she wasn't really American. Lol - Chris
So you weren't actually sure....
@@AudioSirens Guess teenage me believed the official story about Nicola Bryant being the first American companion. - Chris
The funny thing is that Nicola sounds very, VERY English in real life.
She has a lovely voice in either accent.
One of the Americans she beat for the part was Fran Dresher
Thank goodness?
@@AudioSirens Fran would have probably used her other voice, if you watch her in 'Spïnal Täp' from around the same time.
the question is what did Peter say when he found out?
No idea on that one.
@@AudioSirens would be interesting to hear what his reaction was.
Look. I just stated watching the Mary Tamm and Nicola Bryant runs on Dr. Who. But as an American, I thought this was the most bizarre "American" accent I had ever heard. True, not as bad Miranda Otto's "Mrs. Hurtle," but still, and having been to Baltimore many, many times? No way she was from Baltimore, or even Maryland.
They call that method acting these days
To think Neil Patrick Harris is the first big American actor in Doctor who within 60 years is crazy. Please keep it British and don't do it again as much as I liked Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker 😂
I could have sworn NPH was German with that accent...
Wait what about Eric Roberts
@whophd Doesn't count.
She did very well but screwed up a few words here and there in episodes and I remember thinking is she trying to sound British???!! Lol
Yes you can pick a few here and there.
@@AudioSirens yes! But overall pretty natural so I give her credit. :)
Sorry, but as an American she was not very convincing for the most part. It wasn't even obvious that she was supposed to be from The States at the time.
Don't be sorry
This is an awful story, tragedy plus time equals comedy, but it would make a great script for Doctor Who if you could turn it into an analogy.
Peri and Romana I were the hottest to me. Nicola's looks and boobs (of course, being a red-blooded male) and Mary Tamm's gorgeousness...