I asked people in the Black Country what they thought of Brummies - is Birmingham really a separate place?

While we may all live in the same conurbation, Birmingham and the Black Country can often seem worlds apart when it comes to their sense of identity. But are they really all that different? I thought I’d find out from both sides of the divide what they think the main differences are.

Well as you can see in my video I didn’t get a particularly strong or consistent response from either side of the divide. However Birmingham and the Black Country are undeniably distinct.

Apart from geography, their histories, while intertwined, have key differences. The Black Country people could perhaps be said to be more deeply rooted, with Birmingham and its people being products of settlers and migrants - especially following the Industrial Revolution.

And while they may share a similar accent - the difference mostly being only noticeable to those who live in the West Midlands conurbation - the Black Country actually has its own dialect which preserve many archaic traits from earlier stages of the English language. And while those outside the conurbation often can’t tell the differences, they perhaps can give us a better insight into what makes us similar.

David from Wolverhampton says: “I think Birmingham people - I don’t think they’re so friendly. The Black Country - well, here in Wolverhampton where I live they’re a lot more friendlier, you know, and I’ve heard I’ve made some good friends here.”

Jackie from Wolverhampton says: “I think there’s more positive in Birmingham than there is here. I don’t know what it is to be fair, that causes it. But you speak to somebody in Birmingham and you tend to get a better conversation out of them actually. About everything - about politics. They seem to know more. But you speak to somebody around here and they just walk past you and ignore you. You’ve only got to say hello and it’s basically - have you got £2.50 or a cigarette?”

Lisa says: “The accent’s quite nice though. It’s quite fetching.”

Bob who is originally from the South West but now lives in Shropshire says: “Brummies and Black Country people are probably the friendliest in the UK. I mean, I wasn’t born in this area, I come from the South West, but I lived in various parts of the country. I do notice it coming into somewhere like Wolverhampton or going to Birmingham just how friendly people are. Just relaxed, if you like. It’s great.”