Jamie Laing criticised for ‘mocking’ northern accent on air – one day into Radio 1 role

Jamie Laing was the subject of monumental backlash for turning Radio 1 into a “posh boys club” when it was announced he would replace Jordan North on the Going Home show this month. And, one day into his new role, the Made in Chelsea star has received further criticism for mocking his fellow presenter’s northern accent on air.

“They kept playing a trailer for the new Radio 1 Going Home show today where Jamie Laing mocks Vick Hope for how she says ‘booking’,” a listener wrote on x/Twitter. “Not exactly the best way to endear a posho no one likes to the audience having him mock a regional dialect is it?”

Meanwhile, another added: “Nothing says ‘do we really need more posh people in the media’ than Jamie Laing taking the piss out of a north east accent in clips R1 are playing of his pilot show.”

In the audio promo clip, Vick, Jamie and Katie Thistleton joke about how Vick says “booking” in her Newcastle accent in comparison to Jamie’s southern Chelsea accent.

The trio also hit a barrier when they addressed whether to continue Vick and Jordan’s What Are You Having for your Tea? feature, which usually takes place at 5.10pm on Monday’s Going Home show.

“You covered this show once and you thought it [What Are You Having for your Tea?] was going to be about tea and scones,” Vick said to Jamie. “Well that’s what tea is, isn’t it?” Jamie questioned, to which Vick replied: “Not in the north. In the north it’s your dinner.”

Anger immediately began when Jamie was given his role at Radio 1 due to his privilege: “Jamie Laing has never needed a job in his life and so he can do the thing that the middle class do every day – fill up creative glamorous dream jobs – and be piss average, often undertrained, and tone deaf with entitlement in the process,” one person wrote on Twitter/X.

Jamie later addressed the negative public response in an interview with The Times, saying: “I suppose what people see now is that I’m maybe not just a posh idiot… After years of doing podcasting, the audience went, ‘Oh, hang on, we trust this person’.

“When you have doubters, that honestly lights a flame within me,” he added. “If the hurdle I have to cross is that some people think I’m going to leave within a year, then great.”

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