"Maxine Peake is a rock-solid northerner, educated in Westhoughton and Bolton,"
I know she is Steve - I've always loved her accent (even as Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream)
I had no problems with the accent - just her use of working class vernacular, which oi thowt weere summat owerdone - for me, it jarred a little
As far as I'm concerned, she's forgiven everything because of the good things she's written about MacColl
She can come and scrub my back any day

I have to say the clash between Bamford and Hunt took me somewhat by surprise - one of the things I learned from the film
Jim