The Traitors: Is a Welsh accent really more trustworthy?

Plot twists are happening already successful play 3 of the BBC's The Traitors, arsenic 1 contestant from London lifted the lid connected her charming - but mendacious - Welsh accent.

Charlotte, 33, has lived successful London her full beingness but has decided to unreal she is from Abergavenny, successful Monmouthshire, to maximise her chances of survival.

"I've been putting connected a Welsh accent due to the fact that my mum's from Wales, it's 1 of the astir trustworthy accents," she told the camera connected New Year's Day.

But is simply a Welsh lilt really the cardinal to gaining people's spot arsenic a faithful successful the amusement - and possibly successful beingness successful general?

The world amusement centres astir "traitors" selected by big Claudia Winkleman, who indispensable deceive and summation the spot of different contestants, who are "faithfuls".

Dr Mercedes Durham, a sociolinguistics prof astatine Cardiff University, led probe into the likeability of the Welsh accent and recovered radical subordinate the accent with being affable - but not needfully clever.

"They genuinely appreciated it, they find it funny, charismatic and friendly, but they didn't instrumentality it earnestly oregon subordinate it with intelligence," said Dr Durham.

But friendliness and trustworthiness are linked, says Dr Durham, truthful determination could beryllium a method down the mask.

Inspiration whitethorn person travel from erstwhile Welsh contestants Andrew Jenkins from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Amanda Lovett, from Swansea, who some eliminated faithfuls and narrowly missed retired connected The Traitors trophy successful bid 1 and two.

Amanda sailed done the archetypal bid successful 2023, with her opponents swearing manus connected bosom that the humble quality could ne'er beryllium a traitor.

"I deliberation the Welsh accent is precise relaxing, it decidedly played a relation successful radical trusting maine successful being a motherly figure," said Amanda.

"Maybe they didn't deliberation I would beryllium crisp enough, oregon the benignant susceptible of murdering, that I was excessively naive maybe," she added.

"But I don't cognize if I hold with pinching our Welsh accent," Amanda laughed, "we are precise arrogant of our Welsh heritage".

Amanda said Traitors fans whitethorn adjacent beryllium wary of Welsh contestants this time, arsenic some her and Andrew took their charming accents to the precise end.

Andrew agreed the Welsh accent is trustworthy, but said helium would person spotted Charlotte's duff Welsh accent from a mile off.

"Oh I deliberation it's terrible, she keeps dipping successful and retired of her London accent," helium said.

"I conscionable deliberation the Welsh are lovely, friendly, trusting people, I went successful and was authentic.

"I tried to marque arsenic galore friends arsenic I could and beryllium myself to beryllium honest, I deliberation that helped."

Charlotte is not the lone Welsh idiosyncratic successful the crippled this year, arsenic Cardiff-based Elen is from northbound Wales and Leanne, is from Holywell successful Flintshire.

There is simply a batch of saltation successful Welsh accents, and radical thin to subordinate much to definite regions, according to Dr Durham.

"The main relation of radical extracurricular of Wales is the southbound Wales valleys and Barry Island successful the Vale of Glamorgan, acknowledgment to Gavin and Stacey," she said.

"Possibly much than the different 2 contestants, it's an accent outsiders volition subordinate the astir with Wales."

The Welsh accent has enticed caller interaction centres to acceptable up oregon grow successful Wales successful caller years, including Starling Bank, Capital connected Tap, Veezu and TCH Group.

One steadfast chose Newport, implicit Teeside, Middlesborough, to unfastened its ceremonial readying business, due to the fact that of the "consoling" and "empathetic" Welsh accent.

Sandra Busby, main enforcement of Cnect Wales, which supports interaction centres, said Wales has ever been an charismatic determination for galore reasons with accents "playing their part".

"Over the years the Welsh accent ever comes successful the apical 3 determination accent surveys for friendliness and for being trustworthy," she added.

The Welsh accent took apical spot for the astir relaxing accent crossed the UK successful 2024, successful a survey by the University of Sheffield and Spa Seekers.

The nationalist person a brushed spot for each Celtic accents, Irish and Scottish included, acknowledgment to their affable connotations, said Dr Durham.

Received pronunciation, besides known arsenic "Queen's English" does good to summation people's trust, but chiefly due to the fact that of its societal prestige.

But Birmingham, Liverpudlian and Cockney accents often aren't favoured and tin beryllium recovered successful the little fractional of popularity polls.

Trust successful accents tin alteration implicit clip depending connected our societal circles and regular relationships, according to a survey by Ilaria Torre from Plymouth University.

Participants heard either a modular confederate English accent oregon a "lesser trusted" Liverpudlian accent, and attitudes changed depending connected archetypal impressions and judgements.

If a idiosyncratic who spoke successful a "trusted" accent went connected to behave fairly, past this archetypal content of trustworthiness increased.

Yet if they went connected to behave unfairly, they were seen arsenic little trustworthy than those who had some a lesser trusted accent and behaviour.

Participants "were punishing them, truthful to speak, for not surviving up to the participants' expectations", said Ms Torre.

On the other side, those who were seen arsenic sounding "untrustworthy" with a Liverpudlian accent but acted nicely were capable to reverse antagonistic preconceptions.

So, portion a Welsh lilt mightiness commencement you disconnected successful bully stead arsenic a trusted contestant, the likelihood are inactive each to play for.

With a substance of antithetic accents from crossed the UK, however volition the Welsh ones do?