Table of Contents
These days in UK female voice over work, you’re not just trying to be nice and straight – you’re trying to voice people, accents and diversity. But for female voice over artists, the change is even more profound. There is no longer a “standard” voice that dominates the field. Accents and ethnicity are now not just tolerated, they’re celebrated, and they’re a prerequisite to creating genuine and human content.
Whether for an ad, a documentary or an audiobook, the market for multi-ethnic female VO artists is booming – and rightly so. In a global market, viewers do not simply seek to hear one voice, they seek to hear themselves in the media they watch. They require voices that echo their lives, their histories, and their culture. And here is where accent and variation play a crucial role.
The Old ‘Standard’ Voice Traditionally, in both the UK and the United States, female voice over artists employed heavily “neutral” or Received Pronunciation (RP) accents. RP was deemed to be the pinnacle of voice-overs — professional and authoritative — especially in corporate or corporate-looking media, such as television news shows or expensive ads. When you tuned in to TV or radio a few decades ago, this was likely the tone you would hear – unambiguous, accurate, and devoid of regionalisation.
But the truth is, RP is not unhelpful, it just represents a small percentage of the voices in this world. Audiences include a broad variety of individuals, all socioeconomic groups and all across the UK (and world). The “standard” “standard” accent isn’t just too cliche — it’s also losing a whole lot of the chance to reach listeners more deeply.
How Accents Drive Diversity
They represent identity, culture, and history in ways that a standard monotone voice cannot. With a regional accent, the voice feels genuine – less fake, more familiar. This is most visible in advertising, where companies seek to connect with their viewers on a personal level. A female voice over that is Yorkshire, Geordie or Scouse, for instance, evokes regional pride, and provides a visual link to the content for listeners who are from these locations.
But it’s not just about UK regional accents. The proliferation of female VO artists accented everywhere – Nigerian to Indian, Australian to Caribbean – is testament to how intercontinental the media of the day is. Brands, documentaries, content creators understand that their audiences are varied and they should too.
Accents as a Storytelling Device Let’s not overlook accents’ storytelling potential. For audiobooks or cartoons, for instance, accent can instantaneously define the personality of a character or set the mood of a story. A Scottish accent could bring strength or hardness to a character; a gentle Welsh voice would bring warmth and beauty.
I’ve done some audiobook jobs where accents have been used deliberately to differentiate characters and give them more impact. A good female voice-over artist can jump from accent to accent in a matter of seconds, giving the plot life in a way that only one neutral accent could. It adds depth, texture and persona to the show, which makes it more resonant for the viewer.
Challenging Stereotypes
Of course, as the popularity of different accents increases, we also have a duty not to cave into hard stereotypes. It’s all too easy to stereotype accents to roles or individuals – which voice-over has done for decades. The out-and-out Northerner, for instance, or the classy Southerner, or the charming Irishgirl – clichés that are sometimes correct, but which never fully reflect what these accents can be about.
Let’s unpack. Let’s consider the Geordie accent, for example. The Geordie voice comes from Newcastle and the North East, where its character has always been friendly, warm and above all, genuine. And the accent has a kind of realism to it – people can hear it, and immediately know that they’re being spoken to by someone who is real and honest. It’s for that reason that Geordie accents often feature in scenes or advertisements where authenticity and credibility matter – imagine, for example, a charity advert or local-service ads.
Then there’s the Scouse accent from Liverpool. Well, if there’s anything the Scouse accent imparts, it’s a dry wit. It’s a very personal accent – silly, sharp and often unruly. You’ll find this voice used in anything that demands a dash of jokes or playful tones, whether it’s a sketch, a fast-paced radio episode, or an advertisement that just wants to make a few splashes.
Further north, the Scottish accent inevitably suggests power, stamina and pride. But it’s also infinitely flexible, conveying ruggedness as well as tender warmth. Scottish voices are especially effective for accents in which the vocalist has to be robust and reliable – such as when narrating documentaries or portraying leadership or integrity-based figures.
The Welsh accent, likewise, is seen as a sweet, musical voice: charming, gentle, comforting. It’s excellent for narrations that must be soothing or empathetic – think audiobooks, children’s videos, health/wellness commercials. The gentle Welsh accent also makes the accent instantly recognisable as affectionate and nurturing, an asset for any project where your message is going to be genuine.
Then there’s the Cockney East London accent. It’s a no-nonsense, rough-and-ready personality, typically employed when a brand or personality is looking to come off as a little raw around the edges, but with charm and authority in spades. It’s your ‘single voice’ when a product or an announcement has to be friendly and familiar, and a little bit snarky.
The Yorkshire accent, meanwhile, is thought to signify simplicity, trustworthiness and hardship – it reflects truth. Brands employ this accent when they want to convey dependability and legitimacy, especially when it comes to marketing campaigns where authenticity and tradition play an important role.
Northern Irish dialect and the accent in the area can similarly provoke visceral responses. We consider it casual and edgy, but there’s something poetic and poetic about it that lends itself very well to narrations and more sober reflective work.
The trouble is – such connections can become rigid stereotypes very quickly. And if the Geordie voice sounds real, that doesn’t necessarily imply that it should always play the “honest, working-class person.” Same thing with the Scouse accent, even though it’s quirky and funny, there’s a lot more that can go into a Scouse accent than the class clown. These accents have far more diversity than we ever think.
The one thing the sector needs to understand is that regional accents are not solely regional in some way. You can’t be a one-dimensional character because you have a particular accent. Yorkshire’s accent can be kind and caring as much as robust and dependable. A Welsh accent could be audible and dry and warm and relaxing.
For voice-over, the true trick is how to use these accents to give a piece of performance life, and get out of the predictable preconceptions we put them in. More and more female voices-over performers with deep regional accents prove that you don’t have to be solemn to be hilarious, stout to flamboyant.
The International Reach of Non-European Women’s Voices
In our increasingly globalised world, media that we consume is global – and the voices that produce it are. And maybe a female voice over with a South African or Australian accent is what is needed to give a brand with a global presence an extra boost. And not just because it’s more international – by accenting your content differently across countries and regions, a brand speaks directly to those people who live and work in your country and/or region.
For instance, multinational brands tend to make campaigns different for various markets. The same commercial can be run with different female voice over talent, with an accent unique to the geographic area it is being aired. This personalises them and gives the consumer a sense that the message was tailor-made for them, not a generic, standard solution.
Acknowledgement In the media culture, accent and diversity aren’t choices any longer – they’re necessary. Women voicing in accents are not only being real and relatable in what they do, but challenging stereotypes and expectations about who’s entitled to speak. Whether its a British dialect voice, a foreign accent or something quite different, there is no overestimating the influence of voice-splitting. Whether brands or creators are trying to appeal to the global market, taking into consideration that diversity is what it takes to create messages that are meaningful and compelling.