1971: RICHARD BURTON on DYLAN THOMAS | Late Call | Classic Celebrity Interview | BBC Archive 

Speak to me. You’ll hear Richard

It would have been absolutely electric listening to his voice in-person!

@@elmar001 I sound just like Richard burton! I’m a twisted Irish welsh man

I’ve heard it described as cut glass & chiffon. Burton himself said it’s a very welsh voice, the deep, dark answer from the valley’s to the bloody lot of em!

@@danvincent2600 I bet u don't, u need to be born in the Valleys to sound somewhat similar 🤣

Remember that too (English version, ashamed to say). Also, of course, Ryan Davies was in the film. A part created for the film (and having no dialogue), he's in every scene with Burton, echoing his narration with mime, clowning and that wonderfully expressive face he had. Definitely adds an extra dimension, since Burton's narrator didn't have to be speaking to the audience at any time, putting him 'in' the story, rather than something separate from it.

very interesting. thanks.

how do you tell the difference between that and the london accent?

No, go search it out. Even if you aren't too familiar, the voices and the rhythms of the language still shine right through. Despite a low budget, the cinematography is evocative, and leaves space for a cast that clearly love what they're doing. Elizabeth Taylor isn't very good, but you can't have everything.

glorious genius at work

@danvincent2600 - Back in my Punk days, I used to have a Glaswegian friend who moved to England as a child. He was bullied at School, so began speaking with an English accent. However, he was too ashamed to tell his family, so spoke with a heavy Scottish accent when at home. No matter how many times we (his English friends) got him drunk, we never once heard his Scottish accent. Until one day we ran into his parents in the local Arndale centre. He went through hell trying to keep his friends and his family apart so neither party heard him swapping accents. - Your Anglicised welsh accent, sounding like Richard Burton, doesn't sound too terrible to me.