Secret BBC list identifies ‘Britain’s most hated accent’

22 comments

1. ***The Telegraph reports:***

   The BBC ranked the Birmingham accent the “most hated” on a secret league table, a veteran war correspondent has revealed.

   Kate Adie said accents were “one of the country’s complex matters” and stressed that they “vary hugely and how they are received varies hugely.”

   Speaking at an event marking the cataloguing of a vast archive of material documenting her life and career at the University of Sunderland, the 79-year-old added: “Years and years ago, the BBC had an unofficial league table of the most liked and the most hated accents.

   “The view was that some of them drove people nuts up and down the country.”

   Adie, one of the BBC’s most popular war reporters, asked her audience to guess the most disliked accent. A chorus of “Birmingham” followed.

   The 79-year-old explained: “From one end of the country to another, it’s Birmingham! Michael Buerk, who comes from Birmingham, was once asked why he didn’t use the accent. He said, ‘I didn’t want death threats’.”

   However, she told the event that Geordie was generally well-liked.

   ***Read more:*** [***https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/12/secret-bbc-list-identifies-britains-most-hated-accent/***](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/12/secret-bbc-list-identifies-britains-most-hated-accent/)

2. I would have guessed Polish 

3. It’s Hull / Nurth East Yurkshire. I durnt knur why but god I hate it.

4. Ay nuthin wrung with yams

   Scouse is much worse.

5. That was painful to read

6. Birmingham can’t catch a break! If it makes any Brummies here feel better my most hated is the Geordie accent. Sorry Newcastle!

7. How it’s not Birkenhead or Manc I don’t know.

8. Accents I can cope with, what really gets me reaching for the axe is the way politicians constantly

   Pause

   Between

   Words.

9. Brum ain’t anywhere near as bad as Bradford

10. In the 70s and 60s Edward Heath had problems because of the Telegraph and the Daily Mail and others who their proprietors were very keen on a coup try not to read them

11. I would say Brummie is 2nd worst after the yams yams.

12. This article is complete bollocks. Our accents are one of the things that I love about our country. Where I grew up (West Yorkshire), people from the town 6 miles away had different pronunciation to where I lived. Where else in the world do you have such diversity of accent? I love all of them

13. Got to be Scouse. Fucking horrible accent.

14. Absolute garbage.
    Everyone knows the Essex Geezer accent is worst.

15. genuin question, what accent would someone from Exeter have?

16. A Birmingham accent just makes someone sound thick as bricks.

17. It’s not that embarrassing roadman accent all the young people in London speak with?

18. What about the janner accent

19. Scouse and its not even close

20. Every time these chinless giraffes gets even one frog’s egg close to self-awareness they have to distract.

    >Why, yes, Sir Rees-Mogg. We do talk a bit posh. I can hear it now. I know! We blame the poor for Brummie-speak, wot?

21. The London drill / hood rat accent is the worst fucking thing in the UK, fam.

22. I lived in Birmingham for a few years and then moved to the Black Country where I still live 5 years later. Yamyam accent is worse than brummy by far. I can barely understand some people here.

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