BBC News: Man Finds His Voice with Donated Birmingham Accent
BBC Homepage
Skip to content Accessibility Help
Your account
Home
News
Sport
Earth
Reel
Worklife
Travel
Culture
Future
Music
TV
Weather
Sounds
More menu
Search BBC
Home
Climate
World
UK
Business
Tech
Science
Entertainment & Arts
Health
In Pictures
More
BBC Verify
Newsbeat
England
Regions
'My donated Brummie accent gives me confidence'
Image caption: Christian Wilson, pictured alongside presenter Tammy Gooding, said his new Birmingham dialect had given him "the confidence to voice [his] opinion"
By Elliot Ball
West Midlands
Published 8 October 2026
A man who appealed for help to no longer sound like a "character from Star Wars" says he has found his calling.
Christian Wilson, from Bromsgrove, has verbal dyspraxia - a difficulty in placing muscles in the correct position to produce speech. He uses text-to-speech software in order to communicate, but said he wanted to sound "like a man from Birmingham".
In 2024, his dream was made possible when he selected two voice donors that blended a Birmingham accent and a Warwickshire accent, which he hoped would help him sound more like his father.
Since May, Wilson has worked at Worcestershire County Council as a SEND Peer Advocate. He said his new dialect had given him "the confidence to voice [his] opinion".
Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester on Thursday, he told presenter Tammy Gooding:
"There was a moment where I thought, this is really what I'm meant to do. I was really excited about it, because as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be an advocate, plus I have always been passionate about education."
According to the NHS, external verbal dyspraxia is a speech disorder where the muscles have not been damaged, but the messages from the brain that tell the muscles what to do have been affected.
The condition caused Wilson to start his search to find his voice.
Previously, he said:
"I'm from Bromsgrove and I was born in Birmingham. I want to sound like a man from Birmingham, not a character from Star Wars or a cyborg from Doctor Who."
Now, as a SEND Peer Advocate, Wilson said he has the confidence to challenge Ofsted representatives to "do more" for children and young people with disabilities.
He hopes to continue using his new voice to share his experiences with others in Worcestershire and beyond.