Can you have a working-class accent on the BBC?

BBC presenter Steph McGovern claims she has been discriminated against because of her workingclass background and that posh women get paid more (Mail). I would prefer that the BBC hire people who can do a good job, rather than recruit from various sections of the population just to be politically correct. I wince whenever I hear the poorly spoken presenters that dominate the BBC. Poor English and inadequate articulation are a dumbing down of standards. M. HARASYMIW, Belper, Derbys. ALL BBC presenters are paid far too much, wherever they come from. ASHLEY CANTOR, Buntingford, Herts. THE delightful Steph McGovern has such charisma that she does not need to be posh and her pay should be equal to her colleagues.

SHIRLEY CLANCY, Hook, Hants. THE fact Steph McGovern’s salary is six figures doesn’t seem too bad for simply talking to a camera. She’s not saving lives, looking after old people or breaking a sweat stacking shelves. The problem at the BBC is the bloated salaries paid to its ungrateful stars, not class prejudice.

A. JONES, Oldham, Gtr Manchester. FAR from being the victim of class bias, Steph McGovern is the beneficiary of the BBC’s box-ticking philosophy to get regional voices on national TV.

PETER SMART, Nottingham. CAN the BBC equal pay row get any dafter? What will be the next complaint? Brunettes earning more than redheads? Right-handed presenters earning more than lefthanded ones? Ms McGovern is a competent presenter, so I’m surprised she believes this nonsense about class discrimination.

DAVID J. WHITE, Basingstoke, Hants. STEPH McGOVERN is an engaging northern lassie who is worth double the money.

TED SHORTER, Tonbridge, Kent. I LIKE Steph McGovern’s liveliness, warmth and enthusiasm. I’d be pleased to have her as a friend. However, I don’t think she should earn her current salary as a presenter, or even be in her job, because she is so hard to understand. Her impenetrable accent distorts what she’s saying. A professional communicator needs to be careful to speak clearly, and this is nothing to do with snobbery.

J. SMART, Weybridge, Surrey.