The News with an Accent

Working as a presenter for BBC World news, Taranaki native Lucy Hockings says her New Zealand accent “is a good reflection of the newsroom, which is very international.” When she became a presenter for BBC World news, the situation was a little different, with the BBC still in the mode of demanding a specific voice. “[It] was a huge problem and I was sent to the Royal Academy of Drama for speech lessons,” reminisces Hockings. A change in management and Hockings’ accent issue is now seen as an asset, and she has recently been the voice of BBC for world-changing events such as the Boxing Day Tsunami, the death of Pope John Paul II, and the capture of Saddam Hussein, reporting to almost 178 million viewers. “Never did I dream I would be living this life,” Ms. Hockings said, “I feel incredibly blessed”.