RP speakers among BBC News presenters?

Question

I usually watch the BBC World News via satellite (I live in South Korea; there might be slight difference between the international channel and your domestic channel BBC News). Since I am quite interested in British accents, I want to figure out what RP sounds like. I have heard that not a few presenters on the BBC actually speak with RP other than so-called Estuary or other regional accents. Let me know who BBC presenter speaks with real RP. Also, let me know who are RP speakers among the list of some presenters, who I know, below:

Nik Gowing

George Alagiah (of Sri Lanka ancestry)

Jonathan Charles

Mike Embley

Peter Dobbie (a Scot?)

Alastair Yates

Tim Wilcox

Matt Frei

Tanya Beckett

Mishal Hussain (of Arab ancestry)

Answer 1

You'll be hard presed to hear anyone speak RP on the BBC these days!

George Alagiah is the only one I recognise off your list. The problem with news presenters these days is they are all paid to be 'personalities' and bring emotion the days events instead of letting the pictures speak for themselves (a presenter telling us the South Tower was about to collape on 9/11 being a case in point).

News readers have varying accents, my favourite is Huw Edwards who has a lovely Welsh accent, which seems to be second to the popular are Scottish accent.

Some people consider ITN's Sir Trevor McDonald to have perfect old school RP but I disagree, I find him forced and irritating!

Give me Sir Alistair Burnet anyday of the week!

Answer 2

None of them do these days all of them have some sort of regional accent. I think the closest you will get is Jenny Bond but she no longer works for the BBC

Answer 3

Brian Sewell is undoubtedly the most affected speaker of RP on the airwaves, Joanna Lumley is the female version.

Answer 4

You won't find many RP speakers on the BBC these days, except among the older generation of presenters.

This mirrors the decline of RP speech in real life. You won't hear it spoken much at all, unless you socialise in very upper class circles, or among the nobility/royalty.

Even the Queen speaks with a less pronounced RP accent than she used to.