Locals in Birmingham and Wolverhampton share what they think separates Birmingham from the Black Country. From accents to attitudes, we explore the playful but proud divide across the West Midlands.
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00:00I'm here in Birmingham where people are quick to point out what makes them different from
00:08their black country neighbours. A lot of it starts with the accent, something that's often
00:13joked about, but it doesn't stop there. There's a sense here that Birmingham is bigger, more
00:18diverse, more fast paced. Some side Brummies have a different kind of humour, others reckon
00:23they carry themselves with a bit more polish. But beneath the banter, there's a real sense
00:28of pride in being from Birmingham, so I've been here asking what do people here think
00:32truly sets them apart from the black country?
00:37The accent, definitely. I get really friendly if someone says, oh you're from the black
00:42country. No, I'm from Birmingham. It's a completely different place.
00:48To be honest, I don't really know much. I have been to the black country a few times
00:53and the only thing I can really think of is just some of the words that they say, some
00:58of the slang. But I get the impression that people from the black country are very family
01:06oriented and it's based off a few colleagues I have from the black country. They can never
01:12picture themselves living anywhere else. So I guess it seems like a more tight-knit community
01:19in the black country.
01:21The only three are different in accents.
01:26Now I'm in Wolverhampton and here in the black country, the view is just as strong but very
01:32different. People here tell me they're more down to earth, more straight talking and proud
01:37of their roots. Some say Birmingham tries too hard to be something it's not, while the
01:41black country keeps things real. Others just see Brummies as neighbours with a slightly
01:46odd way of talking. But what's clear is that people here feel a strong connection to their
01:50identity and they're happy to stand apart. So I've been asking how do people in the black
01:55country see themselves and how do they view Birmingham?
01:58Different, I'm not quite sure because I don't go to Birmingham very often. I know when I
02:04do it's quite different in the way people act. I mean, here you smile at someone, they'll
02:09probably smile back. You go to Birmingham, they'll just give you a weird scowl. So it's
02:13not as friendly, I don't think, personally. At least it's central Birmingham for me, I
02:18guess.
02:19As I said, what makes it different? I can speak for here, Wolverhampton, and say it's
02:24just calmer. Everywhere else people got time for each other. Here, that's my personal view.
02:29Outside that realm, it seems to be more busier. People ain't got time and that's it.
02:36So I'm not actually from Birmingham, I'm from Wolverhampton. So the one thing that doesn't
02:41separate us is the kindness that I've just seen down the street. But also it's just the
02:46way we are, we're just very different to other people, especially down south. But we're
02:51just more friendly and we're just, we don't, we're not biased to anybody really. But yeah.