Is a Welsh accent really more trustworthy?

This article includes some discussion of the first episode of The Traitors, but does not contain major spoilers such as who the new traitors are or who gets murdered or banished.

Plot twists are happening already in Traitors season three, as one contestant from London lifted the lid on her charming – but false – Welsh accent.

Charlotte, 33, has lived in London her whole life but has decided to pretend she is from Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, to maximise her chances of survival.

“I’ve been putting on a Welsh accent because my mum’s from Wales, it’s one of the most trustworthy accents,” she told the camera on New Year’s Day.

But is a Welsh lilt really the key to gaining people’s trust as a faithful in the show?

The reality show centres around “traitors” selected by host Claudia Winkleman, who must deceive and gain the trust of other contestants, who are “faithfuls”.

Sociolinguistics professor at Cardiff University, Dr Mercedes Durham led research into the likeability of the Welsh accent and found people associate the accent with being friendly – but not necessarily clever.

“They genuinely appreciated it, they find it funny, attractive and friendly, but they didn’t take it seriously or associate it with intelligence,” said Dr Durham.

But friendliness and trustworthiness are linked, says Dr Durham, so there could be a method behind the mask.

Inspiration may have come from previous Welsh contestants Andrew Jenkins from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Amanda Lovett, from Swansea, who both eliminated faithfuls and narrowly missed out on the Traitor trophy in series one and two.

Amanda sailed through the very first series of Traitors in 2023, with her opponents swearing hand on heart that the humble character could never be a traitor.

“I think the Welsh accent is very relaxing, it definitely played a role in people trusting me in being a motherly figure,” said Amanda.

“Maybe they didn’t think I would be sharp enough, or the type capable of murdering, that I was too naive maybe,” she added.

“But I don’t know if I agree with pinching our Welsh accent,” Amanda laughed, “we are very proud of our Welsh heritage”.

Amanda said Traitors fans may even be wary of Welsh contestants this time, as both her and Andrew took their charming accents to the very end.

Andrew agreed the Welsh accent is trustworthy, but said he would have spotted Charlotte’s duff Welsh accent from a mile off.

“Oh I think it’s terrible, she keeps dipping in and out of her London accent,” he said.

“I just think the Welsh are lovely, friendly, trusting people, I went in and was authentic.

“I tried to make as many friends as I could and be myself to be honest, I think that helped.”

Charlotte is not the only Welsh person in the game this year, as Cardiff-based Elen is from north Wales and Leanne, is from Holywell in Flintshire.

There is a lot of variation in Welsh accents, and people tend to relate more to certain regions, according to Dr Durham.

“The main association of people outside of Wales is the south Wales valleys and Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, thanks to Gavin and Stacey,” she said.

“Possibly more than the other two contestants, it’s an accent outsiders will associate the most with Wales.”

The Welsh accent has enticed new contact centres to set up or expand in Wales in recent years, including Starling Bank, Capital on Tap, Veezu and TCH Group.

One firm even chose Newport, over Teeside, Middlesborough, to open its funeral planning business, because of the “consoling” and “empathetic” Welsh accent.

Sandra Busby, chief executive of Cnect Wales, which supports contact centres, said Wales has always been an attractive location for many reasons with accents “playing their part”.

“Over the years the Welsh accent always comes in the top three regional accent surveys for friendliness and for being trustworthy,” she added.

The Welsh accent took top spot for the most relaxing accent across the UK in 2024, in a study by the University of Sheffield and Spa Seekers.

The public have a soft spot for all Celtic accents, Irish and Scottish included, thanks to their friendly connotations, said Dr Durham.

Received pronunciation, also known as “Queen’s English” does well to gain people’s trust, but mainly because of its social prestige.

But Birmingham, Liverpudlian and Cockney accents often aren’t favoured and can be found in the lower half of popularity polls.

Trust in accents can change over time depending on our social circles and daily relationships, according to a study by Ilaria Torre from Plymouth University.

Participants heard either a standard southern English accent or a “lesser trusted” Liverpudlian accent, and attitudes changed depending on first impressions and judgements.

If a person who spoke in a “trusted” accent went on to behave fairly, then this first impression of trustworthiness increased.

Yet if they went on to behave unfairly, they were seen as less trustworthy than those who had both a lesser trusted accent and behaviour.

Participants “were punishing them, so to speak, for not living up to the participants’ expectations”, said Ms Torre.

On the opposite side, those who were seen as sounding “untrustworthy” with a Liverpudlian accent but acted nicely were able to reverse negative preconceptions.

So, while a Welsh lilt might start you off in good stead as a trusted contestant, the odds are still all to play for.

With a mixture of different accents from across the UK, how will the Welsh ones do?

You can find out – the first three episodes of The Traitors are now on BBC iPlayer.

The series airs on BBC One at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.