'It’s annoying that we mostly get Home Counties voices' - Readers' comments on regional accents

Sir Billy Connolly has revealed how he resisted efforts to change his Scottish accent during his early television appearances – claiming he was treated as if he had a “speech impediment”. We asked readers if they would like to see regional accents encouraged more in film and TV

Should we hear more regional accents like Billy Connolly’s Glaswegian in the media?

Patricia Campbell: Billy's Glaswegian accent is a great part of his charm and his comedy. When he "dumbed it down" for American TV, he wasn't as funny.

Pat Knox: Accents don't bother me but bad grammar does.

William Toy: Everything thats filmed in Cornwall seems to have cast that speak perfect robotic monotone English – the newer series of Poldark was famous because some actors actually tried to do the accent. I was one of the generations in the 80's and 90's that had our dialect and accent drummed out of us, sometimes in physical ways, so yes I'd like to see it return. But we Cornish appear to be still looked down upon so I doubt we'll ever see anyone Cornish in the media, let alone have the accent.

Thomas Stadnik: It’s fine as long as there are English subtitles. Some regional accents are not readily understandable to many of us and the storyline will get lost, then the number of viewers will fall.

Frances Coyle: I have a regional accent, and there is not an accent I have ever heard on TV that I can't understand. "Not understanding" is an affectation or inability to listen.

Vera Farrer: I’m from and live in Edinburgh and sometimes can’t understand a word my Highland friend says.

Susie Branum: I hate watching movies where I know the actor is not from America, but they have an American accent. If the story does not explicitly say that the character was born and raised in a certain area, then I say let them speak with their natural accent.

Lyonel Laverde: I like the distinctive quality of accents. My only objection is when they are incomprehensible.

Eric Flanders: I can't understand half of the stuff on TV now. This is not an insult to people with accents, it's just that if you want to sell stuff to a wide audience you need to be understood.

Anne-Marie Goodman: They had to put subtitles on Trainspotting for the American audience... Personally I love accents and I think we have lots of them in films in TV now – but the more the merrier.

Martin Wells: There are not enough regional accents in the media. I work in TV and I’m always fed-up with local newsreaders not being from the area, especially on the BBC. I’m als fed-up with the lack of voic overs being done by people with regional dialects. When did you last hear a strong Brummie accent on a prime time show, a West Country accent, etc? It’s annoying that we mostly get Home Counties voices.

Duncan Robertson: Regional accents only seem to be encouraged if your from the Sawf East of England. Rylan (Cinch), Bradly Walsh (Chase), Harry Redknapp, Loose Women presenters etc

Parking spaces at the ERI

Health bosses in Lothian are being urged to review parking provision at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and consider increasing the number of spaces to cope with demand once fees are scrapped permanently.

Pat Christie: More spaces are badly needed whether free or otherwise.

Chris Cuthill: Why? Buses are now underused to the hospital as a result of parking becoming free at the moment. Public transport should be encouraged rather than taking the car

Brian Mitchell: People don’t always live on a bus route to the ERI and some are infirm or not too well. Some people go straight from work to see ill loved ones who may be in there for weeks. Quite a ridiculous thing to say given the myriad of circumstances people face at what is usually a difficult time in folk’s lives.

William James McGill: Build two multi-storey car parks, one for the Royal Infirmary and the other at the Western General. The Western could pull down the old laundry eyesore of a building and turn it into multi-storey. When l was working there that building was a haven for pigeons and foxes breeding.

Christine Gibson: There is a very good park and ride near the ERI. We used it a lot a couple of years ago.

Callum Rowley: They lost half the parking spaces building the children’s hospital and now there's all the staff and patients from that looking to park too.