My Apology:

I have made many mistakes in my  lifetime, but overlooking a huge ongoing  

issue that appears in many of my videos  is the biggest mistake that I have ever  

made, and that is accent discrimination. I was naive and I didn't realise that  

I was doing it, but after being called  out on it, and those people that have  

called me out on it had every right to  do so, I'm angry at myself and I'm angry  

at the way that I have been making  people feel. I don't feel personally  

attacked by those who called me out - so  don't give them any grief for doing so.

I really believe that they were doing  it for you, and I feel like they were  

doing it for the industry. The criticism  wasn't just aimed at me - it was aimed at  

me and the industry, and it was deserved. Until recently I was convinced that I  

was running a positive, family-friendly,  unproblematic YouTube channel that was  

helping students from all over the world. But what I didn't take the time to think  

about was that I was making people feel  not good enough because of the way they  

speak. In a recent video I took 10 words  that are difficult to pronounce, words  

that can be used in a university or a  workplace, and I told people that they  

should avoid mispronouncing these words  if they want to sound professional and  

intelligent. Words like intelligent, smart,  professional... they're all buzz words on  

YouTube and they tend to get a really  good response. But what I implied was  

that if people don't pronounce these  words the way an English dictionary  

says you should pronounce them in  received pronunciation, then you are not  

intelligent, you are not professional, and  you are not educated. I never intended to  

convey or spread that toxic message, but  I did convey it, and I need to apologise  

I am so sorry to everyone who felt  hurt by that video, and I'm so sorry  

to everyone who has been made to  feel unprofessional, uneducated, or stupid  

by any of my videos. That is not what I  wanted or intended but it's clear that  

what I wanted and what I intended is not  enough. I have removed these videos and  

I'm reviewing the rest of my channel to  make sure that I don't push any of these  

prejudices. I love making catchy videos, but I do need to strike a better balance  

between making fun and engaging content, and providing thoughtful and responsible  

education. I'll also admit that I'm  finding it challenging to strike that  

balance between teaching pronunciation  and not dismissing regional accents. This  

is now my period of learning. I have  arranged conversations with some of  

the experts that have criticised me. I  want to learn and I want to improve and  

I want to use my platform for good. To  those who have criticised me - thank you.

You're trying to effect positive  change and I want to do that too.