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3 Famous Voices Of Supertram


History dude

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Supertram uses the voices of well known people to annouce the next stops when you are travelling on the tram. They also have different voices for the 3 routes. I can easily recognise Sean Bean who does the Purple Route service to Herdings Park. When he recorded them, he clearly said "Manor Top Elm Tree". But Supertram decided only to use "Manor Top". However the way he says it leaves you in baited breath for more than just "Manor Top". :mellow:

The Blue Route (Halfway) voice, is a voice I have heard before but I just can't think who he is? Does he work for Radio Sheffield? :blink:

Nor do I know the Yellow Route person, don't use it much but I think it's a woman's voice? :blink:

Though drivers can do the anoucements themselves, I have not heard one do it for years.

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Supertram uses the voices of well known people to annouce the next stops when you are travelling on the tram. They also have different voices for the 3 routes. I can easily recognise Sean Bean who does the Purple Route service to Herdings Park. When he recorded them, he clearly said "Manor Top Elm Tree". But Supertram decided only to use "Manor Top". However the way he says it leaves you in baited breath for more than just "Manor Top". :mellow:

The Blue Route (Halfway) voice, is a voice I have heard before but I just can't think who he is? Does he work for Radio Sheffield? :blink:

Nor do I know the Yellow Route person, don't use it much but I think it's a woman's voice? :blink:

Though drivers can do the anoucements themselves, I have not heard one do it for years.

I sometimes think it is better when drivers do the announcements themselves as some of them have fantastic Sheffield accents to be proud of, -

"Next stop, AAArberthooern Rooadd, Paaark Grange Rooadd junction"

I think that's brilliant because it feels so "homely" when people speak the same way that you do.

However I can see why the authorities would want to avoid it as Supertram is used by many visitors to the City and some of them wouldn't be able to understand what was being said.

But, "Next stop 'Aifway" is actually better than "Next stop, Halfway" because non Sheffielders always look confused at this and are left thinking "Half way to where?" Or even "Why is it only half way when we have reached the end of the line terminus?"

I never realised that they used famous professional voices (from well ellocuted Sheffielders ;-) ) so I will have to listen out in future when I use the Supertram.

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An intriguing question I've been pondering since it was first posted. So like the 'bollards debate', yesterday I went to the source for an answer, but it wasn't the one I expected. I asked whether the voices were of people connected with Sheffield, and if so, who. Here's the reply from Supertam

Thank you for your email and your interest.The announcements were made by staff members of Stagecoach Supertram at the time of recording.However we have refrained from publicising the names of these employees for data protection reasons.

So now we know!

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I went to the source for an answer, but it wasn't the one I expected. Here's the reply from Supertam

Thank you for your email and your interest.The announcements were made by staff members of Stagecoach Supertram at the time of recording.However we have refrained from publicising the names of these employees for data protection reasons.

I'd have spent months researching that - far too clever actually asking the correct people !

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An intriguing question I've been pondering since it was first posted. So like the 'bollards debate', yesterday I went to the source for an answer, but it wasn't the one I expected. I asked whether the voices were of people connected with Sheffield, and if so, who. Here's the reply from Supertam

Thank you for your email and your interest.The announcements were made by staff members of Stagecoach Supertram at the time of recording.However we have refrained from publicising the names of these employees for data protection reasons.

So now we know!

So, as Stagecoach is a large National company were these identity protected Stagecoach staff local people or outsiders?

Were they "natural" Sheffield accents, or had someone ellocuted them in the correct local pronunciation?

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So, as Stagecoach is a large National company were these identity protected Stagecoach staff local people or outsiders?

Were they "natural" Sheffield accents, or had someone ellocuted them in the correct local pronunciation?

Stagecoach provide some of the school buses to bring kids in and take them home at the school I work at.

A few years ago we had trouble with the behaviour of some of the kids on the school bus to and from Holmewood (a village in Derbyshire).

This particular bus was usually referred to as the "Holmewood Stagecoach"

A complaint was made to the school by a member of the public about the kids behaviour to the Deputy Head and the irrate lady complainant wanted something done about it so that the poor behaviour stopped. In particular, she wanted a senior teacher, like the Deputy Head she was addressing her complaint to to travel on the bus with the kids to discipline them and keep them under control.

Her exact words to him were, -

"I think the Deputy should ride shotgun on the Holmewood Stagecoach"

It sounded exactly like a line from a 1950's cowboy film!

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So, as Stagecoach is a large National company were these identity protected Stagecoach staff local people or outsiders?

Were they "natural" Sheffield accents, or had someone ellocuted them in the correct local pronunciation?

The reply says they were employees of Stagecoach Supertram at the time of recording.

These recordings have been on the trams since the beginning, at which time Supertram was local, not part of Stagecoach, so I take it the people concerned were local.

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The reply says they were employees of Stagecoach Supertram at the time of recording.

These recordings have been on the trams since the beginning, at which time Supertram was local, not part of Stagecoach, so I take it the people concernedd were local.

Looks like they are real local people then.

However, I don't think Sean Bean and a Radio Sheffield presenter have ever worked for Supertram.

Surely they would have had to hire these "famous Sheffeielders" in to do the voices and to have apid them a suitable professional fee.

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Looks like they are real local people then.

However, I don't think Sean Bean and a Radio Sheffield presenter have ever worked for Supertram.

Surely they would have had to hire these "famous Sheffeielders" in to do the voices and to have apid them a suitable professional fee.

Sounds like they beat the Halifax to it, they used real members of staff in their adverts, but I understand they weren't paid for it.

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I sometimes think it is better when drivers do the announcements themselves as some of them have fantastic Sheffield accents to be proud of, -

"Next stop, AAArberthooern Rooadd, Paaark Grange Rooadd junction"

I think that's brilliant because it feels so "homely" when people speak the same way that you do.

However I can see why the authorities would want to avoid it as Supertram is used by many visitors to the City and some of them wouldn't be able to understand what was being said.

But, "Next stop 'Aifway" is actually better than "Next stop, Halfway" because non Sheffielders always look confused at this and are left thinking "Half way to where?" Or even "Why is it only half way when we have reached the end of the line terminus?"

I never realised that they used famous professional voices (from well ellocuted Sheffielders ) so I will have to listen out in future when I use the Supertram.

I remember years ago when the buses had conductors, one of them being reprimanded after complaints from some members of the public for announcing on the Walkey bus, "Commonside, all the common un's get off here".

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