Angry viewers have contacted the BBC to complain about 'meaningless mumbling' in the new series of 'Ripper Street', which started on Monday night. Many took to the broadcaster's Points of View message board to air their views. It comes after director-general Lord Hall promised to combat such issues, saying: “I…think muttering is something we could have a look at. Actors muttering can be testing – you find you have missed a line… you have to remember that you have an audience.” The BBC commented: “It is important to point out that we have had less than 8 complaints out of 5.1 million viewers which puts this issue into context.” [Daily Mail]
"Many took to the broadcaster's Points of View message board to air their views. It comes after director-general Lord Hall promised to combat such issues, saying: “mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm mmmm mmmmm Hong Kong mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmm mmmmmm mmmm"
The only person I had a problem with in regards to mumbling was Jedediah Shine.
How infuriating was this, not the odd word but whole sentences !
We replayed one such line three times & still could not get the gist of it, often miss the odd word but this episode was a joke.
What made me laugh was I understood everything John Merrick said.
Yes, the 'knock yourself out' thing grated a little, but you have to brush off these annoyances with present-day TV dramasw.
Wouldn't it be better if they took that bit more care and tried to avoid anything that is obviously going to jar on viewers? They must spend a fortune on making it look as authentic as possible so it's a shame they don't take the same care with the script.
I haven't watched the start of the new series yet. I do like Ripper Street as it has a very 'real feel' about it. The characters look quite authentically grubby with not too perfect clothing and the men appear not to have shaved with perfectly sharp Gillette blades. I mean that in a good way. Too many 'historical' series look like they have been unpacked out of boxes. In the White Queen for instance, although the series had it's merits, Elizabeth Woodville's 15th century wedding dress was straight from Pronuptia. Well OK not quite but I am sure it had a zip!
How infuriating was this, not the odd word but whole sentences !
We replayed one such line three times & still could not get the gist of it, often miss the odd word but this episode was a joke.
What made me laugh was I understood everything John Merrick said.
Yes, the 'knock yourself out' thing grated a little, but you have to brush off these annoyances with present-day TV dramas.
I think they ought to have included decent TV speakers in the standards for HDTV. Having decent sound should be as important as the picture itself. Then they could have a proper sound mix on the HDTV broadcasts and an easier to hear version on SD.
But they didn't.
It used to amuse me sometimes in the past when people had spent maybe £2000 on a big flat screen then asked for advice on buying a surround system to go with it - maximum budget £200. Not a good balance of priorities in my view.
Or wedge out on a nice HD TV but then don't put a HD source into it
Though it's mainly American programmes I have trouble following. The actors often talk so fast and so indistinctly I've no idea what they're on about.
They don't talk fast, or indistinctly. You are just having trouble with an accent that is strange to you. On American forums about British TV there's always people there complaining about British actors not being able to speak properly (dropping "h's" and such, saying "me" when they mean "my," etc.).
They don't talk fast, or indistinctly. You are just having trouble with an accent that is strange to you. On American forums about British TV there's always people there complaining about British actors not being able to speak properly (dropping "h's" and such, saying "me" when they mean "my," etc.).
They do talk fast and indistinctly sometimes. That's when I don't catch what they are saying.
Other times their diction is fine, and I understand perfectly in spite of their "unfamiliar" accents (which I have been listening to on cinema screen, TV and real life for 50 odd years, so hardly unfamiliar!)
It's the new breed of "cool" cops or crims that I don't get. Their diction is often dreadful.
They do talk fast and indistinctly sometimes. That's when I don't catch what they are saying.
Other times their diction is fine, and I understand perfectly in spite of their "unfamiliar" accents (which I have been listening to on cinema screen, TV and real life for 50 odd years, so hardly unfamiliar!)
It's the new breed of "cool" cops or crims that I don't get. Their diction is often dreadful.
But what about when British people, or characters on screen, use "bad diction?" Do you not understand them? Of course you do. It IS about familiarity. You are a British person in the UK. No matter how many Americans you have met, or US films and TV shows you have seen, you are more used to hearing British people speak. I have been exposed to British accents all my life, but an educated Brit with a posh accent is still way easier to understand than someone lower class who speaks more informally. And people who have had to learn English as a second language have told me that while they were learning English EVERYBODY who spoke English sounded to them like they were always talking abnormally fast. The unfamiliar sound creates an illusion that the brain perceives as abnormal speed.
But what about when British people, or characters on screen, use "bad diction?" Do you not understand them? Of course you do. It IS about familiarity. .
Er, no, I don't. Which is why I use the subtitles. As I said.
I'm not sure what the point you are making is. Sometimes I find it hard to understand actors, of whatever nationality. This happens more frequently than it used to. I don't know if it's my ears or the sound systems which are unable to cope with the poor diction of some actors.
Whichever, I find it useful to use the subtitles as a matter of course, and wonder why others, who have similar problems, don't use the subtitles rather than miss a programme they like.
Nothing more to be said, really. I'm sorry if you felt I was getting at American actors particularly - I wasn't.
Er, no, I don't. Which is why I use the subtitles. As I said.
I'm not sure what the point you are making is. Sometimes I find it hard to understand actors, of whatever nationality. This happens more frequently than it used to. I don't know if it's my ears or the sound systems which are unable to cope with the poor diction of some actors.
Whichever, I find it useful to use the subtitles as a matter of course, and wonder why others, who have similar problems, don't use the subtitles rather than miss a programme they like.
Nothing more to be said, really. I'm sorry if you felt I was getting at American actors particularly - I wasn't.
Okay, but it was your singling out American programmes that I wanted to address, not to scold you, but to note that I hear/read the same complaints -- talking too fast, mumbling -- about British shows on my side of the Atlantic.
It's nothing to do with the actors dialect. It's their diction and volume which is the problem no matter what part of the world they are from or are representing.
Okay, but it was your singling out American programmes that I wanted to address, not to scold you, but to note that I hear/read the same complaints -- talking too fast, mumbling -- about British shows on my side of the Atlantic.
Sorry, but I suppose I singled out American programmes because I watch more of them than any other!:)
I over-generalised in my post. I do understand most American actors perfectly well, whatever their accent.
FWIW I had no problems with the sound. This was on (freesat) HD. The Dolby Digital 2.0 (boo!) soundtrack was a bit clearer than the PCM soundtrack but both were OK. Mr Mumbles did indeed mumble but I hardly missed a word, and everyone else was crystal. This is through an AV amplifier into fairly hefty speakers though so I don't know if that made any difference--or whether it was worse in standard def. Were the people experiencing difficulties watching it in SD? Just a thought.
Comments
"Less than 8"?! Strange way of putting it!
The BBC doesn't take into account the amount of viewers who didn't contact them directly to complain.
I couldn't understand the other bent cop either at times. The one who was thrown out of the window.
I think I spent so long trying to place the actor that I didn't notice the mumbling so much!
He was in Eastenders many years ago, and The Bill a long time ago also.
How infuriating was this, not the odd word but whole sentences !
We replayed one such line three times & still could not get the gist of it, often miss the odd word but this episode was a joke.
What made me laugh was I understood everything John Merrick said.
Jesus Christ! It's fewer FFS!
I prefer mumbling method actors to idiots who can't use basic grammar. You wouldn't get that sort of comment from Radio 4.:D
Grammatically incorrect it maybe but I understood the meaning, unlike with Jedadiah
Wouldn't it be better if they took that bit more care and tried to avoid anything that is obviously going to jar on viewers? They must spend a fortune on making it look as authentic as possible so it's a shame they don't take the same care with the script.
lol
Everyone else was okay for us.
Or wedge out on a nice HD TV but then don't put a HD source into it
Standard Sky+ box plus HDTV = no HDTV
Can I just ask why, if you like the programme apart from the difficulty about sound, you didn't just turn the subtitles on?
As I said earlier, I automatically do this now. I'd rather have the subtitles on than miss a fantastic programme like Ripper Street!
Though it's mainly American programmes I have trouble following. The actors often talk so fast and so indistinctly I've no idea what they're on about.
They don't talk fast, or indistinctly. You are just having trouble with an accent that is strange to you. On American forums about British TV there's always people there complaining about British actors not being able to speak properly (dropping "h's" and such, saying "me" when they mean "my," etc.).
They do talk fast and indistinctly sometimes. That's when I don't catch what they are saying.
Other times their diction is fine, and I understand perfectly in spite of their "unfamiliar" accents (which I have been listening to on cinema screen, TV and real life for 50 odd years, so hardly unfamiliar!)
It's the new breed of "cool" cops or crims that I don't get. Their diction is often dreadful.
But what about when British people, or characters on screen, use "bad diction?" Do you not understand them? Of course you do. It IS about familiarity. You are a British person in the UK. No matter how many Americans you have met, or US films and TV shows you have seen, you are more used to hearing British people speak. I have been exposed to British accents all my life, but an educated Brit with a posh accent is still way easier to understand than someone lower class who speaks more informally. And people who have had to learn English as a second language have told me that while they were learning English EVERYBODY who spoke English sounded to them like they were always talking abnormally fast. The unfamiliar sound creates an illusion that the brain perceives as abnormal speed.
Er, no, I don't. Which is why I use the subtitles. As I said.
I'm not sure what the point you are making is. Sometimes I find it hard to understand actors, of whatever nationality. This happens more frequently than it used to. I don't know if it's my ears or the sound systems which are unable to cope with the poor diction of some actors.
Whichever, I find it useful to use the subtitles as a matter of course, and wonder why others, who have similar problems, don't use the subtitles rather than miss a programme they like.
Nothing more to be said, really. I'm sorry if you felt I was getting at American actors particularly - I wasn't.
Okay, but it was your singling out American programmes that I wanted to address, not to scold you, but to note that I hear/read the same complaints -- talking too fast, mumbling -- about British shows on my side of the Atlantic.
Sorry, but I suppose I singled out American programmes because I watch more of them than any other!:)
I over-generalised in my post. I do understand most American actors perfectly well, whatever their accent.