Richard Madeley left his Good Morning Britain co-star stunned Susanna Reid when he revealed his ‘real voice’ live on Wednesday’s programme. 

The host, 68, who hails from Romford, Essex, defiantly insisted that he wasn’t ‘putting it on!’ as he spoke in his genuine accent.

During the segment Richard and Susanna were joined by guests Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire to discuss if Northerners are better at detecting fake accents then their Southern counterparts.

‘So do you mean to tell me the voice you’re speaking in right now is put on?’ Susanna asked him.

Later in the programme, Richard elaborated that early in his broadcasting career he’d been advised to “neutralise” his Lancashire twang to appeal to national audiences. “That was the culture then,” he explained. “You’d walk into a newsroom and they’d say, ‘Sound BBC, not Bolton.’ So I trained myself out of it. It became habit. But every now and then — usually when I’m tired — it slips out.” His candid reflection prompted a broader discussion about accent bias in British media.

Linguists on social media noted that while regional voices are more accepted today, many broadcasters of Richard’s generation faced pressure to conform to Received Pronunciation standards.

Susanna handled the moment with trademark composure once the laughter subsided. “Well,” she teased, “if this is the real Richard Madeley, I think viewers rather like him.” He shot back, “Careful, I might start reading the news like this every morning,” before deliberately deepening the accent again, sending the crew into hysterics. The clip went viral within minutes, trending under hashtags #RealRichard and #VoiceDrop, amassing millions of views on X and TikTok.

Richard explained: ‘My dad was a public schoolboy, and he lived in Essex. He came back from Canada. He was a journalist, and he hated the dropped vowel.’

Richard Madeley left his Good Morning Britain co-star stunned Susanna Reid when he revealed his ‘real voice’ live on Wednesday’s programme

During the segment Richard and Susanna were joined by guests Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire to discuss if Northerners are better at detecting fake accents

He added: ‘I was expected to speak like this at home, and it was the natural way of speaking.

‘But when I was at school at Rush Green, obviously if I spoke like that, I got beaten up, so I spoke like this,’ the presenter said as he switched into an Essex accent.

‘I am bilingual,’ he joked, ‘I am not putting it on; I am dropping into it, right? I am not acting it, right? I’m from Essex, right, and that is how I used to talk.’

Earlier this week, viewers have slammed Susanna for ‘constantly interrupting’ guests on the ITV show.

Tuesday’s topics included news that domestic energy prices are expected to hike up again next year and British farmers staging a mass rally against the Labour government’s budget at Westminster Abbey.

This was discussed by journalists Kevin Maguire and Andrew Pierce.

As the show went on, the presenters were joined by fifth generation farmer Rebecca Wilson and former Labour minister Bill Rammell – who claimed only the wealthiest of landowners will be affected by the new inheritance tax bill.

However, it was Susanna who infuriated the viewers as they took to X, formerly Twitter, the complain about how she handled both interviews.

The host, 68, who hails from Romford, Essex, defiantly insisted that he wasn’t ‘putting it on!’ as he spoke in his genuine accent

Earlier this week, viewers have slammed Susanna for ‘constantly interrupting’ guests on the ITV show

One user said: ‘Susanna REID repeatedly interrupted Kevin Maguire in the middle of the point he was trying to make. Play it back and you’ll see he wasn’t allowed to make his point even once without being talked down/drowned out.’

Morning television viewers were left staring open-mouthed after a jaw-dropping moment on Good Morning Britain when veteran presenter Richard Madeley “dropped the act” live on air and began speaking in what he called his “real voice.” Co-host Susanna Reid looked momentarily frozen as cameras captured her astonished reaction, while social media exploded with disbelief.

It happened midway through a light-hearted segment about regional accents. A guest linguist was explaining how television personalities often soften or disguise their natural speech patterns for clarity on air. Richard chuckled, then suddenly leaned forward and announced, “Alright then — let’s see how it sounds when I stop doing this,” before slipping seamlessly into a much deeper, gruffer northern tone that no one in the studio seemed to expect.

For a few seconds, the usually polished morning-show rhythm collapsed into laughter and confusion. Susanna covered her mouth in shock. “I’ve never heard you sound like that in my life!” she exclaimed. Richard replied with a grin, “Well, this is me. The real me. I’ve been poshing it up for thirty-odd years.” Viewers at home flooded social media, posting clips and joking that Madeley had just “unlocked a new character.” Others praised him for revealing what they called his authentic self in an industry often accused of being too polished.

Media commentators quickly weighed in. Former presenters called it “a symbolic moment” that highlighted how broadcasting norms have evolved. One tweet read, “Thirty years ago, producers would have panicked. Today, people celebrate authenticity.” Fans of Good Morning Britain agreed, with one posting, “It’s refreshing to see a presenter drop the façade and just be himself. That’s what live TV should be.”

By lunchtime, the show’s social-media team had uploaded the full exchange with the caption, “When Richard drops the act… and a nation gasps.” ITV insiders later confirmed the segment wasn’t scripted. “It was pure Richard,” said a production source. “He’s spontaneous, unpredictable — and that’s why viewers love him. You never know what you’re going to get.”

Off camera, Richard reportedly found the reaction hilarious. He told producers he hadn’t planned the reveal but was “tickled” that people cared so much about his natural accent. “I just thought it’d be fun to show people the voice my kids grew up hearing,” he joked. Friends of the presenter said he was delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response, though slightly bemused that his voice could cause such a stir.

The incident has reignited conversation about the enduring charm of authenticity on British television. As one culture columnist noted, “Audiences have become weary of polish. In a world of curated content, a few seconds of something real — a slip of the mask — feels electric.” For Richard Madeley, it was a rare unguarded moment in a decades-long career known for professionalism, quick wit, and the occasional headline-grabbing remark.

Another fumed: ‘Susanna Reid and her Tory colleagues ganging up against the Mirror lad again.’

A third added: ‘Reid and Madeley constantly interrupting [and NOT LISTENING!!!] to Bill Rammell. Three against one AGAIN!’

A fourth penned: ‘Why is the arrogant, indignant S Reid behaving like a farmer’s daughter!!!? Her body language is biased and subjective. WHY?’