Robin Aitken

More northern accents won’t save the BBC

(Photo: iStock)

It seems that the BBC has finally acknowledged the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s aphorism. Demonstrating his inherent anti-Englishness, the old Fabian snob declared: 

‘It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.’ 

And the barb hurts because to an extent we must accept that it is partly true. 

Sticking a few more regional accents in front of a microphone doesn’t begin to address the real problems the BBC faces

In our defence, it is also true of people other than the English. Every European country, and probably every country in the world (including Shaw’s Ireland) has its own bumpkin regional twang which the boss class looks down on. Universality doesn’t make this discrimination right – but the way a person speaks is an instant indicator of origins, education and class.

But it seems a penny has dropped at the BBC – an organisation which is getting fretful about the possibility that it is unloved in some parts of the country.

Written by
Robin Aitken
Robin Aitken is a former BBC journalist and author of 'The Noble Liar: How and Why the BBC Distorts the News to Promote a Liberal Agenda'. He is also co-founder of the Oxford Foodbank.

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