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Author's appeal after being 'flummoxed' by accent

Elliot Ball,West Midlandsand
Tammy Gooding,BBC Hereford & Worcester
News imageAdrian Hobar Adrian Hobart has short blond hair and black glasses. He is also wearing a dark blue shirtAdrian Hobar
Author Adrian Hobart said the Kidderminster accent had "completely flummoxed" him

An author has admitted the Kidderminster accent has "completely flummoxed" him and now he needs help to record his audiobook.

Adrian Hobart, a former BBC journalist, who was born and bred in Cambridge, has set his debut novel in the Worcestershire town.

Titled 27 Church Street - The Gathering Storm, it is a historical family-saga telling the real-life stories of three generations of surgeons, the Stretton family.

Discussing his audiobook woes, he said: "While I can make a decent fist of most recognisable UK regional accents, I'm completely flummoxed by a Kidderminster one. In short - I'm stuck! I can't record the audiobook version without some help."

He continued: "At a recent launch event at The Hive in Worcester, I was advised by audience members that my attempts were far too Black Country to be credible."

Discussing other accents that he has voiced, he said: "I can get there just about, enough anyway.

"As long as you have the emotional state of the character then the rest follows.

"But with this, because I've written a book based in Kidderminster, I've got to get it right. I owe it to the people of Kidderminster."

News imageAdrian Hobart The book cover is features a woman in Victorian-era clothing looking out of a window. The title "27 Church Street - The Gathering Storm" is written in white and gold lettering.Adrian Hobart
Hobart's debut novel blends facts and fiction, telling the real life story of a family of Kidderminster surgeons

Hobart said he did not have a choice about where the book was set as he was keen to "put the Stretton name out there".

"This is a long story of a proud family, the Stretton family. Their current generations are celebrating the achievements of the three surgeons, the Stretton surgeons, who worked in Kidderminster between 1856 and 1952.

"And one of them, Lionel, the middle surgeon, was the man who was credited with pioneering Tincture of Iodine on the skin before major operations.

"Now that is an achievement that saved countless thousands of lives during World War One."

News imageChris Stretton A black and white photograph showing three men wearing dark coloured suits all stood next to each other. The man on the left has a long white beard, while the man in the middle has a thick moustache and the man on the right is clean shaven with his hair swept to one side.Chris Stretton
The Stretton surgeons worked in Kidderminster between 1856 and 1952

He added: "We wanted this novel to really put the Stretton name out there, like the way we all know the name Joseph Lister and his contribution to medicine.

"What we've done with the book is to celebrate the whole of Kidderminster; the carpet industry, the family and their involvement with the culture."

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