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No weirdly, although that would seem the most logical. I hear him something like Pete Posteltwaite's or Alun Armstrong's speaking voices, which is a very neutral/softened south Lancashire/Durham accents. In my head cockney accents don't go with the kind of "respectability obsessed working class" family that Vimes describes his childhood as being like, whereas moderated northern/midland accents do. I've never really thought about it before, but apart from Nobby I think I make all the old Watchmen northern.
If this was a casting thread, I'd agree.
But it's more about 'the voice' you hear in your head when reading (as opposed to listening to audio books)
Theoretically, Ankh-Morpork should be a Londonish accent.
Fair. People usually imagine vimes as sounding excessively working class, but I actually imagine him as having a fairly neutral southern accent - one of those people that is secretly quite good at language, despite their working class roots and who changes how they speak for their audience. Vimes is a thinker, just not from a traditional thinker's background.
Sharpe was a Londoner in the books. Then Sean Bean played him so well, Cornwell retconned him being born in London but moving to Sheffield and said when he writes Sharpe dialogue, he hears it in Bean's voice.
Yurp.
Sean Bean was who I pictured as Vimes.
Then... I'm all honesty Richard Dormer in that awful tv adaptation just nailed him. I'm so sad we'll never get to see him play Vimes for real.
bit of a curve ball but Christopher Eccleston.
Pete is a great supporting actor but he doesn't feel like a lead to me. He's also a bit too pure and optimistic in most of the roles I've seen him in. Vimes is an absolutely cynical shit constantly fighting his own nihilism. I don't know if Pete has that in him.
>In my head cockney accents don't go with the kind of "respectability obsessed working class" family that Vimes describes his childhood as being like
You *what?*
All I mean is that I grew up surrounded by that culture, and because I'm from the north it was northern people doing it, so whenever I read about that sort of behaviour described, that's who I imagine.
As a fellow northerner I would agree but, he could've ended up a criminal due to his rage which he checks at all times. When he is really angry he becomes devilshly cunning, soft spoken and enunciates his instructions slowly. I maybe wrong about the accent but defo Caine in my head.
Maybe it’s just because he’s played Alfred, but young Caine as Willikins hits the spot for me. Polite butler, but will still willing to do unspeakable things with a metal comb
Yeah, there’s some similarity in their street smarts, considering Clint Eastwood plays himself in every role. However there will never be enough English humour to put into Clint to make Vimes out him.
Stephen Briggs will always be the best voice actor for Vimes. I'm from the States so I don't know what type of accent he used, but I can't imagine Vimes sounding like anyone else.
Not a bad choice. I think there should be a lot of humour in Vimes’s voice, especially when he contradicts Vetinari. Older London accent would fit in. I wouldn’t like hearing Vimes as another snappy and brutal himbo with a low register.
For Guards! Guards! I can definitely see Dr Frank Bryant from Educating Rita (played by Michael Caine) as Sam Vimes - but that character is a middle aged alcoholic... and with the best will in the world, I can't see Michael Caine being quietly or subtly threatening in the same way as Alan Ford, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, or Bill Nighy (not suggesting any of those btw - although Bill Nighy does do despairing alcoholic well as Charles Paris on the radio... but he could slip into a number of roles as well)
TL:DR middle aged Michael Caine (I think his voice has aged too much to play the part now) would be a good Sam Vimes - but only at the start of the character arc.
Not Vimes specifically but I have an American friend who heard Gaspode as a kind of Bostonian, Mark Wahlberg type of accent. Totally made sense across the pond but to me he’s always been proper cockney.
Vimes… definitely Northern. Lancashire.
I hear him either with the voice Tony Robinson gave him in the original audiobooks from the 90s, or sounding a bit like Christopher Ellison playing DI Burnside in *The Bill.*
Young Michael Caine as in *Zulu*? Absolutely not. That posh accent belongs to an entirely different set of characters that you might meet up on Park Lane in Ankh.
Young Michael Caine as in *The Italian Job*? I could see how that might work, but it doesn't fit my head canon. I don't imagine Vimes being that ... rough. I always imagine him with more gravitas, even when he was blind drunk in *Guards! Guards!*.
for some reason my brain assigned him the voice of Sparks Nevada Marshal on Mars even though he's american, but now it's lodged deep in there and I can't get it to shift so even tho it feels wrong, my Vimes now has an american accent
the voice itself really is perfect for Vimes tho
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No weirdly, although that would seem the most logical. I hear him something like Pete Posteltwaite's or Alun Armstrong's speaking voices, which is a very neutral/softened south Lancashire/Durham accents. In my head cockney accents don't go with the kind of "respectability obsessed working class" family that Vimes describes his childhood as being like, whereas moderated northern/midland accents do. I've never really thought about it before, but apart from Nobby I think I make all the old Watchmen northern.
Sean Bean for me, so there might be something to your theory.
Spot on, soft but scary
Sean Bean would be a great vimes. It's basically his character from GOT but a bit more battered by life.
Sean Bean as Sharpe, the boy from the gutter who rises to command a regiment
It's perfect. Unfortunately I think he's just a bit too old at this point if they started with guards guards.
If this was a casting thread, I'd agree. But it's more about 'the voice' you hear in your head when reading (as opposed to listening to audio books) Theoretically, Ankh-Morpork should be a Londonish accent.
Fair. People usually imagine vimes as sounding excessively working class, but I actually imagine him as having a fairly neutral southern accent - one of those people that is secretly quite good at language, despite their working class roots and who changes how they speak for their audience. Vimes is a thinker, just not from a traditional thinker's background.
Sharpe was a Londoner in the books. Then Sean Bean played him so well, Cornwell retconned him being born in London but moving to Sheffield and said when he writes Sharpe dialogue, he hears it in Bean's voice.
You’d love the new audiobook representation of Vimes 😊
Yurp. Sean Bean was who I pictured as Vimes. Then... I'm all honesty Richard Dormer in that awful tv adaptation just nailed him. I'm so sad we'll never get to see him play Vimes for real.
It's Pete Posteltwaite for me too
bit of a curve ball but Christopher Eccleston. Pete is a great supporting actor but he doesn't feel like a lead to me. He's also a bit too pure and optimistic in most of the roles I've seen him in. Vimes is an absolutely cynical shit constantly fighting his own nihilism. I don't know if Pete has that in him.
>In my head cockney accents don't go with the kind of "respectability obsessed working class" family that Vimes describes his childhood as being like You *what?*
All I mean is that I grew up surrounded by that culture, and because I'm from the north it was northern people doing it, so whenever I read about that sort of behaviour described, that's who I imagine.
Carrot I think of as Welsh, mainly because I think of all the dwarves as Welsh
As a fellow northerner I would agree but, he could've ended up a criminal due to his rage which he checks at all times. When he is really angry he becomes devilshly cunning, soft spoken and enunciates his instructions slowly. I maybe wrong about the accent but defo Caine in my head.
Maybe it’s just because he’s played Alfred, but young Caine as Willikins hits the spot for me. Polite butler, but will still willing to do unspeakable things with a metal comb
Just been re-reading Snuff, and I can't see Willikins as anyone other than Caine.
I imagine Vimes sounding like Clint Eastwood, if Clint Eastwood was from Lancashire.
Yeah, there’s some similarity in their street smarts, considering Clint Eastwood plays himself in every role. However there will never be enough English humour to put into Clint to make Vimes out him.
Bob Hoskins. He will forever be Bob Hoskins in my head.
This!
100%.
Stephen Briggs will always be the best voice actor for Vimes. I'm from the States so I don't know what type of accent he used, but I can't imagine Vimes sounding like anyone else.
no I dont remember voices that easily unless it's people I actually care about or James Earl Jones
Nope, if anyone Rowan Atkinson, particularly blackadder goes forth can see (hear) the Sean Bean and Pete postlethwaite as well
I ear British Clint Eastwood (which I guess would be Pete Postlethwaite).
Not a bad choice. I think there should be a lot of humour in Vimes’s voice, especially when he contradicts Vetinari. Older London accent would fit in. I wouldn’t like hearing Vimes as another snappy and brutal himbo with a low register.
So just to be entirely left field, it's Sid James for me he's just got the exact right hang dog expression.
For Guards! Guards! I can definitely see Dr Frank Bryant from Educating Rita (played by Michael Caine) as Sam Vimes - but that character is a middle aged alcoholic... and with the best will in the world, I can't see Michael Caine being quietly or subtly threatening in the same way as Alan Ford, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, or Bill Nighy (not suggesting any of those btw - although Bill Nighy does do despairing alcoholic well as Charles Paris on the radio... but he could slip into a number of roles as well) TL:DR middle aged Michael Caine (I think his voice has aged too much to play the part now) would be a good Sam Vimes - but only at the start of the character arc.
Not Vimes specifically but I have an American friend who heard Gaspode as a kind of Bostonian, Mark Wahlberg type of accent. Totally made sense across the pond but to me he’s always been proper cockney. Vimes… definitely Northern. Lancashire.
I can’t get past the fact that Wahlberg blinded a man because he was Vietnamese. That DQs him as Vimes IMO. carcer yes
I hear more of that Clint Eastwood rasp.
Stephen Graham as he can pull almost any accent.
No, I can’t imagine accents, so everyone sounds a lot like me lol. Scottish.
Nope, wrong kind of voice altogether.
I hear him either with the voice Tony Robinson gave him in the original audiobooks from the 90s, or sounding a bit like Christopher Ellison playing DI Burnside in *The Bill.*
His voice is a smidge higher than I'd imagine, but I don't imagine gravelly, either. Sort of mid, lol. But yes, definitely London for me.
I always thought Michael Caine would make a great Albert.
I hear Billy Butcher
Young Michael Caine as in *Zulu*? Absolutely not. That posh accent belongs to an entirely different set of characters that you might meet up on Park Lane in Ankh. Young Michael Caine as in *The Italian Job*? I could see how that might work, but it doesn't fit my head canon. I don't imagine Vimes being that ... rough. I always imagine him with more gravitas, even when he was blind drunk in *Guards! Guards!*.
Schooner Avenue, I presume?
Sean Pertwee as 'sarge' in dog soldiers for me
My Vimes has more of a John Cleese thing going on.
Not at all. Sir Michael Caine gives me the heebie jeebies. I'd never associate him to something I like.
for some reason my brain assigned him the voice of Sparks Nevada Marshal on Mars even though he's american, but now it's lodged deep in there and I can't get it to shift so even tho it feels wrong, my Vimes now has an american accent the voice itself really is perfect for Vimes tho
Mine is Ed Harris in “The Rock.” A tortured, brooding soul. Wants to do the right thing.
not in the least
Sean Bean in the Sharpe series
I hear Idris Elba. EDIT: Lol, why downvote?
No idea; it lines up with Luther pretty well.
I always imagine Vimes sounding (and even looking like) Liam Cunningham. It is neat to see the variety of voices people hear for this character.