More than half of all TV viewers are having to watch shows with subtitles on because modern films and dramas are plagued by mumbling actors and poor sound, a study has found.
Key Findings from the Research
Research for Freeview channel Great TV found that 51 per cent of all viewers believe sound quality and mumbling on televisions is worse than ever before – and surprisingly, that figure remains the same across all age groups.
A massive 60 per cent regularly have subtitles on for certain shows, while one in four have them on for most shows, and 13 per cent have them switched on all the time.
Notable BBC Dramas Affected
The findings come after several BBC dramas down the years like Sherwood, The Jetty, Jamaica Inn and even Happy Valley, sparked thousands of complaints in the past over mumbling and indistinct audio.
Previously slimline TVs have been blamed for poor sound quality compared to traditional TV sets. The TV study found that the main reasons for using subtitles include mumbling actors (31%), too-loud background music and sound effects (29%).
A quarter of Brits (26%) say that they mainly use subtitles as they cannot understand other British regional accents.
Industry Response
Kate Gartland, Marketing Director at Great who carried out the survey, said: “Realistic acting and stunning sound effects are fantastic, but what’s the point if so many viewers are unable to hear the dialogue?”
In 2020, Cold Feet star Robert Bathurst admitted he sometimes struggles to understand others on set due to their mumbling. Writing in The Oldie magazine, he said: “All these actors, along with many others including Alec Guinness, Trevor Howard and Jack Hawkins, shared one underrated quality… you could hear what they said.
“It is a taboo in some circles now to say that an actor is inaudible. I’ve worked with directors who are too scared to say so or too cloth-eared to notice.
“I once filmed some dialogue with an actor who was four feet from me but the only way I knew it was my cue was that his lips stopped moving.”
In 2016, then BBC chief Charlotte Moore vowed to tackle the problem of mumbling after thousands of complaints. She re-edited the sound on episodes of Happy Valley.
