Brummies 'dislike' regional accent

Voters rate the way The Queen speaks, but are not keen on the Brummie accent

Whether you're a posh toff or a bit of a chav, apparently 73% of people asked, don't like the way they speak.

A survey of 2000 people revealed the accent situation is at its worst in Birmingham.

The Midlands city tops the league of regions where people dislike their own accents.

It seems well-known Brummies such as Ozzy Osbourne and Jamelia are not enough to make the accent appealing, as only 1% of Brits would choose to speak like them.

It is interesting that those with distinct cultural or class identities are more satisfied with the way they speak Tony Robinson, Linguistic expert

Given the choice most of the people asked in the poll would like to sound like the Queen, followed by the Irish accent, with the Scottish lilt in third place.

"After decades where dialect diversity has been celebrated, the majority of Britons now aspire to received pronunciation.

"They want to share the sound of their voice not only with The Queen but with celebrities like Liz Hurley and Hugh Grant," said linguistic expert Tony Robinson.

The survey also revealed that the Scots, Geordies and Welsh actually like their accents.

"It is interesting that those with distinct cultural or class identities are more satisfied with the way they speak, and it is precisely those accents that the rest of us want to acquire," Mr Robinson added.