BBC One's highly anticipated new drama series, 'The War Between The Land and The Sea', faced an immediate backlash from viewers on its debut night, with widespread complaints about poor sound quality drowning out crucial dialogue.
Premiere Plagued by Audio Issues
The five-part series, which launched on Sunday, December 7, is the latest project from acclaimed writer Russell T Davies. Known for reviving 'Doctor Who' and creating hits like 'It's A Sin', Davies has branched out from the Whoniverse with this standalone story. The plot involves an ancient species emerging from the ocean, triggering a global crisis that the military organisation UNIT must contain.
Despite hopes that the show would appeal to both dedicated fans and newcomers, the inaugural episode was marred for many by a persistent technical fault. Viewers quickly took to social media to report that the background music and sound effects were overwhelmingly loud, making character conversations inaudible.
Viewers Forced to Use Subtitles
The problem was so pronounced that fans confessed to struggling from the opening scenes. An important early monologue was reportedly lost, forcing households across the UK to crank their television volume to maximum or, more commonly, switch on subtitles to follow the plot.
One frustrated viewer posted online: "Why is the background music drowning out the dialogue? I can't hear a b****y thing!" Another simply stated: "I cannot understand what anyone is saying." The issue prompted comparisons to the volume levels of other programmes, with one person noting they had to increase their TV's volume from 8 to 30 to hear the new show.
A Gritter Take on the Whoniverse
In promotional interviews, Davies had set expectations for a tougher tone compared to the main 'Doctor Who' series. He explained that without the Doctor present as a safety net, the characters in this spin-off are "up against the wall and pushed to the limit." However, this intended grittiness was undermined for many by the basic inability to hear the script clearly.
The series marks the first major 'Doctor Who' spin-off since 'Torchwood' concluded in 2011, and anticipation had been building for months. The sound mixing issue, however, dominated the conversation following the premiere.
'The War Between The Land and The Sea' continues next Sunday at 8.30pm on BBC One and is available for streaming on iPlayer. It remains to be seen if the BBC will address the audio problems before the next episode airs.
