Brits reveal their favourite celebrity voices – and it isn’t who you’d think!

From soothing to sultry, Brits reveal the voices they could never tire of New research to celebrate National Bingo Day (27th June), undertaken by the Bingo Association, has today revealed the nation’s favourite voices we love to listen to. If you have a warm Irish accent and sound just like your mother (or father), then you may have the perfect voice.

Polled on who has the best voices among more controversial celebrities, one in four Brits (25%) prefer Jeremy Clarkson’s voice, over one in five (22%) vote for Gordon Ramsay’s fiery vocals, closely followed by the villain of British broadcasting, Piers Morgan (22%).

Hijacking the number one spot of sexiest male voices is Idris Elba (19%), captivating nearly one in five Brits with his deep and gravelly voice. Tom Hardy’s cockney charm came in second with 18% of Brits finding his voice sexy, and Mr. Bond himself placed third (15%) in the list of the sexiest male voices, with respondents stirred, but not shaken, by Daniel Craig.

Nigella Lawson’s smooth and sultry voice topped the list (19%) of sexiest female voices, despite her frequent mispronunciation of the word microwave. Emma Watson placed second on the list with 15% of Brits spellbound by her well-spoken English accent.

And soothing Brits’ ears enough to send them to sleep, is Sir David Attenborough with over one in three Brits (37%) agreeing he has the most calming British voice, followed by one in five (20%) warming to the peaceful tones of Dame Joanna Lumley.

Highlighting the importance of voice, 68% revealed that they believe they can always or often identify a celebrity based on their voice alone, with a further 69% stating that a celeb’s voice is what plays a significant role in their fame and success.

Brits
top 10 favourite celebrity voices include:

Sir David Attenborough (32%)
Dame Joanna Lumley (28%)
Idris Elba (21%)
Dawn French (20%)
Sir Trevor McDonald (18%)
Sir Tom Jones (18%)
Liam Neeson (17%)
Stephen Fry (16%)
Cheryl Cole (14%)
Dua Lipa (14%)

It’s not just famous celebrities who are skilled in adapting their voices. Almost 2 in 5 Brits (38%) confirm that they change their voice when on the phone, 33% alter their tone when speaking in public, and 16% even adapt the way they speak when on a date.

It’s smoothness (27%), and tone (26%) that are considered to be some of the most attractive voice traits by Brits, with warmth (38%) clinching the top spot. Accents also play a big role in attractiveness (26%) with the Irish accent being the favourite for over 1 in 7 Brits 15%, with the Southern Irish accent at 8% topping the list.

Despite their appreciation for others’ voices, 67% of Brits admit they don’t like hearing their own voice played back to them. But Gen Z, who have been quick to embrace voice notes, are less opposed to hearing their own voice with nearly half (46%) of 18–24-year-olds claiming that they like to hear themselves played back, in comparison to a whopping 74% of Brits aged 45-54 who dislike hearing their own voice.

Even more surprisingly, despite the age old “insult” of being told you sound like your mother / father, over half (56%) of Brits admitted that they in fact like being told they sound like their parent.

Miles Baron, Chief Executive at The Bingo Association says,
“Bingo players know more than any the importance of a clear and distinct voice. When it comes to winning a Full House, it can make all the difference. That’s why for National Bingo Day on 27th June, we encourage people to support their local bingo clubs and experience the best bingo callers in the country! And for one British bingo club, we’re even inviting a mystery celebrity bingo caller to make a surprise appearance to a bingo club in June. Adopting a disguise, we’re excited to see if their iconic voice alone will be enough for players to guess who’s behind the mask. Could it be a club near you?”

Bingo fans can show their support for the great game of bingo and join the party online or in club on National Bingo Day on Thursday 27th June 2024 by visiting: https://www.nationalbingoday.co.uk/

Bingo clubs around the country will be running special bingo sessions and offers throughout the week in honour of National Bingo Day. Existing bingo players will receive £10 off their next bingo game for bringing a pal or bingo newbie to their favourite club over the duration of the week.