A mardy theatregoer has been mocked after they stormed out of a Shakespeare play and demanded a refund - because the actors had Yorkshire accents.
The disgruntled customer had paid for a ticket to comedy play As You Like It at the York Theatre Royal last week, performed by the Northern Broadsides theatre company.
In advertising the play, the Halifax-based company tells punters it will be performed as "bold, accessible and unapologetic Northern voices."
Jess Rooney, who works for the company, said the complaint had made everyone "chuckle" because it was so outrageous.
She said: "I'm not sure who the complaint applied to specifically but pretty much all of the actors have a Northern accent. They don't hide them.
"Our whole selling point and what we do differently is Shakespeare in northern voices.
"We were just quite bemused by it at first. We've been working on platforming northern voices on stage for the last 30 years.
For more of the news you care about straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here
"In my time, I've never seen this complaint."
The play, which ran from 23 March to 26 March, is advertised as being performed by '12 Northern actors' and has been praised by critics.
But when one unhappy audience member complained about the proud Northern actors, the staff were left in stitches.
Jess said: "It's a normal thing to hear northern voices and Yorkshire accents on stage these days.
"We were one of the first to do this 30 years ago and since then I think a lot of people have taken it on board.
"It's more of a thing people enjoy to hear. It makes the [characters] sound like them and people can relate to it a little bit more.
"A lot of Shakespearian language is hard to get used to anyway so if you hear it in your own voice, it makes the experience a lot more accessible."
She added the complaint had actually done the company "the world of good."
In a tweet, York Theatre Royal chief executive Tom Bird made it clear the disgruntled punter had "no chance" of getting a refund.
He wrote: "We've got a complaint this morning @YorkTheatre from someone who left after an hour of @NBroadsides #AsYouLikeIt last week, because it had 'Yorkshire accents' in it.
"That's Yorkshire accents, right here in Yorkshire. They want a refund."
One Twitter user replied: "Surely in the top 10 of ridiculous complaints?"
Another said: "Yorkshire accents, in Yorkshire, from a Yorkshire-based theatre company, that was SPECIFICALLY created to showcase Yorkshire accents in all roles? Heaven forbid."
Others claimed the complaint fit a narrative that northern accents are less valued because they're not received pronunciation.
York Theatre Royal was approached for comment.
