Mancunian has now taken the crown as the ‘most desired’ accent in the UK, according to a new analysis.
You may remember that in recent years, the findings from two separate shocking surveys revealed that the Manchester accent is considered to be one of the ‘least respected’ nationwide, especially within the corporate world of work, and that northerners with strong accents are considered ‘less intelligent’ than their southern counterparts.
But now it seems like the tides have shifted slightly.
That’s because a new analysis by The Hearing Care Partnership revealing which regional voices are ‘turning heads’ in 2025 has seen Manchester take the top spot.
Last year in the hearing care company’s study, Essex topped the list as the UK’s most desired accent, but in 2025, Manchester came up to first place with a huge 127% increase in searches, pushing Essex down to the second spot.
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Mancunian has now become the UK’s ‘most desired’ accent / Credit: Simon Emmett
The company claims the long-awaited Oasis reunion could be the ‘driving force’ behind the nation’s new curiosity towards Manchester’s tone.
“It’s interesting to see how the Manchester accent has become popular all of a sudden,” Ashish Shah, who is an audiologist at The Hearing Care Partnership, commented on the findings.
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“Cultural events can really change how people feel about certain accents, and Manchester’s up-and-coming vibrant music scene, lively nightlife, and sports achievements might explain why so many people are interested in it now.
“Last year, Manchester wasn’t even in the top five, so jumping to number one with a 127% increase is really impressive.”
Top 10 ‘most desired’ UK accents
Manchester
Essex
Welsh
Yorkshire
Geordie
Cockney
Scouse
Birmingham
Scottish
Irish
Elsewhere on the list, it appears that regional accents across the UK have seen noticeable shifts.
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The Welsh accent now ranks thirdon the list with a 24% increase in searches – a surge that could be linked to the hit BBC series The Traitors, where contestant Charlotte deliberately spoke in a Welsh accent as she believed it to be one of the most trustworthy.
Yorkshire’s unique sound has also seen an 18% boost this year, which is a major shift from 2024 when it was one of the least desirable, and the Geordie accent has also remained a favourite with a 17% increase in interest.
Cockney and Scouse accents have also continued to hold strong, with steady increases between 12% and 17% each.
Featured Image – Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
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Get Baked is giving out FREE slices of its viral multi-layer chocolate cake in Manchester next week
Thomas Melia
The viral bakery known for its impressive multi-layer chocolate cake is offering slices of its huge sweet treat for free when it opens in Manchester next week.
If you’re fed up of your friends in Leeds banging on about how good Get Baked is, then don’t worry because, the headline-grabbing independent bakery is landing in Manchester next week, and if that news wasn’t sweet enough to tempt you to the new opening as it is, they’re also offering out free slices of their ‘Bertha’ cake to the first 1,000 people in the queue.
Get Baked’s first ever Manchester location will be in the Northern Quarter in the heart of Stevenson Square meaning you can pair your Aperol spritz with a serving of chocolate cake this summer… can life get any better?
The massive chocolate cake is inspired by the dessert featured in Roald Dahl’s book ‘Matilda’, later turned into a film adaptation in 2002, and its name ‘Bertha’ is a spin off the original ‘Bruce’ cake.
Rich Myers, who is the founder and creator of Get Baked, recently put out a statement on Instagram to explain why the company recently took the decision to increase a slice of ‘Bertha’ cake from £17 to £20, saying they’ve received nothing but love from people understanding the rising costs of owning a business.
Get Baked’s Manchester is soft-launching on Friday 14 March, but it’s the following day (Saturday 15 March) when the 1,000 slices of ‘Bertha’ will be up for grabs.
“Expect it to be a bit all over the place, because the first day of a new site is never easy. But that’s okay, because on the second day, we’re giving away 1,000 free slices of Bertha,” Get Baked announced on Instagram.
So if you fancy your luck at securing a slice of free cake, head down to Get Baked at 1 Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter, from 12pm on Saturday… but let’s be honest, you’ll probably need to get there much sooner.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Real hawks hired to scare off pigeons ‘causing problems’ at northern train stations
Emily Sergeant
Northern has hired real hawks to help scare off pigeons who are ‘causing problems’ at train stations across the region.
You may remember that at the back end of 2023, the rail operator declared that it wanted to ‘force pigeons to take flight’ by trialing a whole host of new deterrents at stations across its network, and did so by positioning plastic owls around some platforms to scare them off, along with a host of other special measures.
As well as the fake owl statues, Northern also started using a special gel on ledges and roof trusses that’s designed to trick pigeons into thinking the surface is too hot for them to land on, and to really hammer it home, noises that simulate predatory hawks were broadcast out of massive speakers too.
But now, they’re ready to take things up a notch.
Introducing Maverick and Zulu, our skilled Northern hawks addressing pigeon concerns at stations. ⁰⁰For years, birds have posed challenges for both customers and staff, as well as stations due to their corrosive droppings. ⁰⁰After various attempts to resolve the issue, we're… pic.twitter.com/kC856Cnxg3
Because Northern claimed the ‘pests’ continued to keep ‘flocking to stations and nesting’, two real hawks called Maverick and Zulu have now been deployed at a couple of stations in Yorkshire as part of a 12-week trial.
If they prove to be effective, the rail operator says the real hawks could be introduced at other Northern stations which have been ‘plagued’ by pigeons in recent years.
Northern is keen to assure customers that the hawks are ‘not being used for hunting’.
Real hawks have been hired to scare off pigeons ‘causing problems’ at northern train stations / Credit: Libreshot
“We have tried plastic owls and recorded hawk noises, but they weren’t an effective deterrent,” explained Alex Hornby, who is Northern’s commercial and customer director. “So now we’ve brought in real birds of prey to help us with our pigeon problem.
“The pigeons are a real nuisance for our customers and cause headaches for the station staff who have to clear up after them.
Emily Sergeant -
4th March 2025 
