British Deputy High Commissioner H.E. Niall Cullens recently visited the Legend FM radio station at PNGFM Ltd in Port Moresby as part of the station’s British Accent Challenge, helping select the winner of the month-long competition.

Cullens joined the Legend FM team live in the studio to conduct the final draw, which saw William Aila named the winner of the challenge.

The competition was run by Legend FM as part of its July promotions, giving listeners the opportunity to showcase their best British accent or impression.

Legend FM’s radio personality Augustine Chalson popularly known as Augie, said listeners were given a sentence each day, taken from a famous song, and challenged to read it in a British accent.

Participants submitted their entries through WhatsApp voice notes or by calling the station, with the strongest entries progressing into the final draw.

During his visit, Cullens also spoke about the diversity of British accents, explaining that there is no single British accent. He said accents vary across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while different regions and cities within the countries also have their own distinct accents.

Cullens gave examples of regional differences, noting that people from Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham can speak with noticeably different accents. He also pointed out differences between Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, despite the cities being relatively close to each other.

Cullens said English has become a global language used across music, film, culture, business and communication.

Following the draw, Cullens congratulated Aila and said the winner would be welcomed at the British High Commission for a tour.

The visit will give Aila an opportunity to learn more about the work of the British High Commission in Papua New Guinea, the relationship between PNG and the United Kingdom, and to meet staff at the mission too.

Augie said the British Accent Challenge was designed as a fun way to engage listeners while celebrating British culture. He said the idea was also inspired by British music, particularly the contrast between the accents of British artists when speaking and how they sound when singing.

The challenge also became an opportunity for Legend FM listeners to learn about the variety of British accents.

Augie said he was surprised to learn during Cullens’ visit that Britain has numerous regional accents.

He compared the differences to Papua New Guinea, where people from different parts of the country also have distinct dialects and ways of speaking.