Blackadder star helps staff learn train announcements

[ushawk]

Comedy announcements are good when they are spontaneous, not scripted and ones you will hear over and over again.

The 1st time you hear the lines, depending how they are spoken, you may giggle - but if you hear it again - it wont be funny. Would be better off just doing it as a 1 day only "comedy day" or something like that.

 

[welshpax]

I personally think it is a great innovation by Chiltern.

The reason why businesses are so successful is that they are willing to take risks. Remember when Virgin Atlantic first started, they were seen as being unprofessional, but, people love the informal style.

To see how this works well, just look at Southwest Airlines in the US, they have this down to a fine art.

 

[AlterEgo]

I personally think it is a great innovation by Chiltern.

The reason why businesses are so successful is that they are willing to take risks. Remember when Virgin Atlantic first started, they were seen as being unprofessional, but, people love the informal style.

To see how this works well, just look at Southwest Airlines in the US, they have this down to a fine art.

Very true, but this innovation has been almost unanimously pooh-poohed. It's ridiculous.

 

[Pumbaa]

Unanimously poo-pooed by a bunch of enthusiasts of one degree or another. Hmm.

Just as we forget Joe Public doesn't know that a staff PNB is a requirement or that passengers would rather get to their destination sooner than have a droplight, we also may not realise that these announcements could brighten up the drudgery of the daily commute for those commuters to whom a train is just a means to an end.

According to Chiltern it's been met with an overall positive response. Good luck with it it I say.

 

[transmanche]

I think everyone's missed the key paragraph in the link;

The announcements passengers will hear as part of the team-up between Chiltern Railways and the UK tv comedy channel GOLD...

And a quick look at GOLD's website reveals;

For one week only Gold is adding a touch of comedy to the usual weekly grind. Commuters to London and Birmingham will have their usual commute infused with an injection of humour from two of TVs greatest comedians.

So there's no need to panic. The world isn't coming to an end. It's just for one week!

Full list of announcements here. I think it looks like they've been reading this forum:

Our next station stop is Bicester, which is the second most wrongly pronounced station on this line, above Haddenham and Thame, but behind London Marlbon. Marlybon. Mary Lee Bone. You know what I mean.

 

[SS4]

I'd support it if it was Officer Crabtree (played by Arthur Bostrom iirc) from Allo Allo doing the announcements:

good moaning, we are now approoching solihill. Ploose make sheer you have all your beloongings when looving the troon. Think you for trivelling with Chiltern ruleways


edit: or pluse take core when stipping from the troon onto the plitform edge

 

[district]

Talking of announcements and mispronunciation, onboard my regular Chiltern Mainline journeys, one particular guard pronounced Solihull as 'Solly-hall' and Marylebone 'Marry-le-bone'. Maybe it's me being a southerner, but I've always thought it was 'Solly-'ull' and 'Marly-bone'.

Marylebone is a difficult one to pronounce, coming to think of it. Then again, Bicester North could fool the unwary. I always used to think it was 'Bi-chester'.

 

[CC 72100]

I think everyone's missed the key paragraph in the link;


And a quick look at GOLD's website reveals;


So there's no need to panic. The world isn't coming to an end. It's just for one week!

Full list of announcements here. I think it looks like they've been reading this forum:

Ah, well that's fair enough then. It's just the BBC link didn't state that.

 

[SS4]

Talking of announcements and mispronunciation, onboard my regular Chiltern Mainline journeys, one particular guard pronounced Solihull as 'Solly-hall' and Marylebone 'Marry-le-bone'. Maybe it's me being a southerner, but I've always thought it was 'Solly-'ull' and 'Marly-bone'.

Marylebone is a difficult one to pronounce, coming to think of it. Then again, Bicester North could fool the unwary. I always used to think it was 'Bi-chester'.

I've always said Solly-'ull (but it's a running joke that posh people say Soley-hull)

Not sure about Marylebone but I usually end up alternating between the two (some how)

 

[Blindtraveler]

complaint withdrawn

 

[jopsuk]

Am I the only one that thinks that this could be taken as an insult?

I'd hope not. The targets deserve to be insulted...

 

[Tracked]

and I suppose in future the lingering doubt I'm going to have whenever a guard is joking will be "is that scripted?"

 

[david_VI]

I thought TOC's didn't like guards to be funny in case it offends or there's someone on the train who just heard they have cancer or something (Read something similar in the funny train announcements thread)

 

[Tracked]

they'll have to have a list of approved jokes I Would think, carefully screened to avoid upsetting anyone :?

 

[RPM]

What hasn't been mentioned yet is that Tony Robinson himself was doing comedy announcements at Marylebone today, and quite funny they were too.

 

[The Barlow Boy]

Talking of announcements and mispronunciation, onboard my regular Chiltern Mainline journeys, one particular guard pronounced Solihull as 'Solly-hall' and Marylebone 'Marry-le-bone'. Maybe it's me being a southerner, but I've always thought it was 'Solly-'ull' and 'Marly-bone'.

Marylebone is a difficult one to pronounce, coming to think of it. Then again, Bicester North could fool the unwary. I always used to think it was 'Bi-chester'.

Marylebone is easy to pronounce. Mary-le-bone with equal stress on all three constanants. Mary as in Mary had a little lamb not Mary as in marry me (and all your money will be mine!)

 

[Cherry_Picker]

And the point of this is...?

Free publicity. Aside from this thread the story has been picked up by the BBC on internet and radio. It has been picked up by what, half a dozen national newspapers too*? And how many of those stories mentioned that there would be "scripted" announcements? All of them? How many of those printed the scripted announcement that very specifically stated Chiltern Railways offer trains from Birmingham to London with a journey time of 90 minutes?

The train crew are all indifferent to it and reports of our involvement in the scheme are greatly exaggerated. The marketing department are probably celebrating a small moment of genius.

 

[All Line Rover]

Marylebone is easy to pronounce. Mary-le-bone with equal stress on all three constanants. Mary as in Mary had a little lamb not Mary as in marry me (and all your money will be mine!)

There are numerous "correct" ways of pronouncing Marylebone. I pronounce it Marry-lee-bone - after having pronounced it Mar-lee-bone for ages, which I never thought was a good pronunciation.

 

[krisk]

A better suggestion for guest announcer would be Brian Blessed

That could be fun

 

[Schnellzug]

I personally think it is a great innovation by Chiltern.

The reason why businesses are so successful is that they are willing to take risks. Remember when Virgin Atlantic first started, they were seen as being unprofessional, but, people love the informal style.

To see how this works well, just look at Southwest Airlines in the US, they have this down to a fine art.

isn't that do to the individual choice of the crews, though? They don't have to follow scripts written for them, do they?

 

[TDK]

"We will shortly be passing through West Ruislip where we will be racing the Underground trains. Do please feel free to cheer for our driver."


I can't see this announcement being made ofter as W. Ruislip is DOO unless it is LHCS and no one has mentioned the drivers have been briefed on new announcements so unless you are on the silver set you won't hear this one

 

[ReverendFozz]

Brian Blessed would not need a PA system to make the announcements.

Arthur Bostrum as Officer Crabtree would be funny, that character always made me laugh

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jeni]

"I don't believe it! We're now arriving into Birmingham New Street on time..."

I have actually heard something along those lines on Virgin!

 

[KiddyKid]

Im gobsmacked by this latest developement, we have recently been reminded about Telephone/Radio protocols and the need to remain focused on driving. By the way is it Beaconsfield or Bekonsfield!!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Guys, its a publicity stunt to get media attention. It appears to have worked brilliantly if this thread is anything to go on.

 

[CarltonA]

Bekonsfield is the normal pronunciation. Marylebone is now being called Marrow-lubone by some Chiltern drivers. I believe the locals say Marleybone is the right way. There's a very posh announcement on the train to Hayy Wikum sometimes I also note.

 

[Mojo]

I believe the locals say Marleybone is the right way.

Correct

 

[JGR]

Whilst I've not heard the full repertoire, the ones I heard on the news seemed very forced.
Reading a gag from a script in a deadpan voice is just not the way to go.

I'm no comedian, but I'd suggest keeping the humour to spur of the moment topical comment. Thinking of something on the spot also makes it more likely that it'll be said with some sense of conviction. Even a funny joke falls flat if read out like the shipping forecast and with no context.

 

[SS4]

Whilst I've not heard the full repertoire, the ones I heard on the news seemed very forced.
Reading a gag from a script in a deadpan voice is just not the way to go.

I'm no comedian, but I'd suggest keeping the humour to spur of the moment topical comment. Thinking of something on the spot also makes it more likely that it'll be said with some sense of conviction. Even a funny joke falls flat if read out like the shipping forecast and with no context.

I concur. Additionally if the announcer makes a joke on the spur of the moment it can be related to current events

 

[Badger]

Aye. I like the announcers making jokes from time to time but if they're scripted they're going to be terrible. There's nothing worse than "scripted spontanuity".

These are commuters, they're going to be on the train every single day; hearing the same joke over and over again is going to get just as tiresome as hearing the usual announcements.

It's like watching a standup comedian do a gig after watching them on live at the apollo, after they've been on HIGNFY, after they've been on mock the week. Every time you hear the same super spontaneous joke done over and over again until by the end it's just daft.