A BLACK Country comedienne has become an internet sensation following her bid to keep the local dialect alive.

Videos of great-grandmother Marlene Watson telling jokes and sharing stories of her life have gone viral.

The 68-year-old posted the videos on her Facebook page, Marlene, a Black Country Wench, and has already clocked up more than 1,600 likes.

Almost 100,000 people across the globe have viewed and shared them, leaving Marlene, from Wall Heath, feeling "overwhelmed".

It was her daughter, Vanessa Wale's idea to do the videos as she knew people would warm to her mother's accent.

Ms Wale, aged 47, who also films the videos in the conservatory of her mother's Blaze Hill Road home, said: "It was hard to keep the camera still because I was laughing so much, even though I have heard her stories many times.

"After the first one went on it just went mad and we were overwhelmed by the shares and likes and wonderful comments. It was quite scary I guess at first because we never expected this at all."

Marlene's frequently mentions her grandmother May Elizabeth Brettle in the videos as she was a huge influence on her growing up.

She said: "She lived to be 99 and was a constant inspiration to me, I would always listen to her stories and that's where my love of stories of the Black Country came from.

"I've always done Black Country stand up, even when I was at school I was made form prefect because I could entertain the class, I'd do impressions of teachers.

"At one time the Black Country accent was frowned upon, people didn't like it but now people have become interested in it again and I want to preserve it."

She admits she was nervous when the camera first started rolling but has now "settled into it".

Marlene added: "People contact me from abroad and say I make them think of home or remind them of their mom or nan.

"I get so many comments that I'm not able to reply to everybody as I'm not that good on the computer, but they are all precious to me."

Fans will be pleased to hear Marlene has more videos in the pipeline: "I have a lifetime of stories at my age so I'm hoping to continue as long as I still think it's fresh."