I like Northern accents (and their humour) and think people shouldn't try to lose them and talk that awful variation of Sarf London Meejah that seems so prevalent on telly.

But how long has she been doing SCD? And she can't get Ola's name right, or the dance? Duh.

Must be the hair dye.

My family haven't stopped laughing since Saturday. Poor Tess - I actually rather like her but think she's lumbered herself with a deadweight husband who seems to like her to dress like an out-of-date hooker.

No, I get that bit, and if I said the word in the context of a sentence in Spanish (which I speak well), then it would sound like you want it to. But if I were to say it in English, using my normal accent, then it would sound like Tess says it.

Has she had implants? They seem bigger and fuller, the older and thinner she's become. And yes, another shocking look.

This says more about your 'family' than anything.

I'm sorry. Don't get it. Could you explain or am I just to assume it's something nasty...

I don't think Penelope's family were laughing about Tess since Saturday, I took that to mean they were laughing about penelope's (ahem) unfortunate typo regarding the dress "flattening" something - the typo which I ROFLd at.

Ah. I get it. Forgive me. Are you a northerner too? I'm a foreigner so I am not sure who fits in with the 'northern tag' but I love Yorkshire and Midlands accents and the dry, dead pan sense of humour I found up there

In earlier series she and Karen Barber both wore sponsored frocks - cannot recall the brand but ageing and unflattering IMO.

Much better of late.

I thought she has been looking better too.

My accent is a disturbing hybrid, due to being born in London, spending a good chunk of time in the West Country as a child, and having now been living in the Midlands for a considerable time. I also tend to pick up new accents very easily, so the time I spent working with someone from Coleraine has left a trace! Where I live now also has a strong local accent (& dialect).

I have some words which will always identify me as being a Southerner, and others where I have picked up the local pronunciations, and others which are still a blend of both. So I don't give Tess a hard time for trying to sound 'Northern' because to my ear, she sounds a lot like me. But then, I generally like her and think she does a fairly good job

BAth (like midlanders) and Barth (like the West Country locals & southerners) being a classic.

Just read this and I'm crying with laughter

Yes!! I can pass for entirely local, with just a small amount of thought, provided I don't have to say 'bath' or 'path'. I just cannot do it in the local accent, it sounds so completely wrong to me!!

The issue is made worse in our house by the anticipation over how bad the dress will be, coupled with the fact that my OH is bound to say, 'I wonder who Vernon is sexting while she's at Television Centre'

It's like to stable points in a troubled world - Tess's appalling dress and my OH predictable comment!

I think its much more interesting to have a normal girl like Tess who does get it wrong sometimes fashionwise rather then a fashion perfectionist who never gets it wrong.

I remember last year in an interview Claudia said she hated having to stand next to Tess at the end of the show. She said Tess was like a Thouroghbred race horse, I think she compared herself to a shetland pony or something similar. What woman wouldn't like the opportunity of having a body like that and choosing fantastic clothes with a BBC budget? I bet most of us think we could do a better job than Tess or whoever chooses her dresses.