[Robin McInnes]

I started watching my Sky+ recording of this evening's edition of Time Team, only to find that it was transmitted with a female in the bottom right corner doing sign language!

It was most off-putting and distracting.

Surely anyone who is deaf could select the subtitles function in these days of digital TV?

I hope this is not a precedent for more SL'd prime time programming.

(Don't they have repeats of programmes with sign language for the deaf in the early hours anyway?)

[davisa]

Agree. Just tried to watch this, to find my version (freeview CH4 HD) is also with sign language.

Had to acquire it "via other means" in order to watch unmolested.

[Traffic1326]

I shot her

[Cloudbuster]

Just listen to yourselves!

It didn't bother me at all

[Spruce]

I put a sheet of A4 up to cover her up!

[Winchester Lady]

Maybe some deaf people would find subtitles distracting. Such intolerance and insensitivity, astounding.

[Doghouse Riley]

There is an obligation to transmit some signed programmes for deaf people. However, it appears that as well as being unfortunate enough to be deaf, these people are also presumed to be insomniacs or very early risers.

Digressing,

Many years ago there was a BBC documentary on Al Jolson. The late repeat was signed. I was reading a book at the time and I happened to look up and witnessed a very large lady in the corner of the screen appearing to be having convulsions. Then I realised that she was signing the words of this performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGHdy7BsgWE

[AdamCleland]

Originally Posted by Winchester Lady

Maybe some deaf people would find subtitles distracting. Such intolerance and insensitivity, astounding.

Why should primetime TV cater for a minority of people at the inconvenience of everyone else?

People with normal hearing don't want their screen taken up by a person talking to deaf people. If deaf people want to know what's being said then they should read the subtitles.

Originally Posted by Doghouse Riley

There is an obligation to transmit some signed programmes for deaf people. However, it appears that as well as being unfortunate enough to be deaf, these people are also presumed to be insomniacs or very early risers.

In this day and age it doesn't matter what time it's on. Most people have some form of recording equipment. Until then, they can read the ****ing subtitles.

[Evo102]

Originally Posted by Doghouse Riley

There is an obligation to transmit some signed programmes for deaf people. However, it appears that as well as being unfortunate enough to be deaf, these people are also presumed to be insomniacs or very early risers.

Or know how to operate a recording device of some description

[Groundhog]

I found it annoying and distracting.

[Doghouse Riley]

Originally Posted by Evo102

Or know how to operate a recording device of some description

Hmm..

If you can't appreciate the humour, state the obvious?

[lundavra]

Originally Posted by Doghouse Riley

There is an obligation to transmit some signed programmes for deaf people. However, it appears that as well as being unfortunate enough to be deaf, these people are also presumed to be insomniacs or very early risers.

I always presumed they assumed that they had PVRs so could record the programmes to watch at a convenient time.

[Paace]

You're lucky to have someone in the bottom right . I tried to watch an episode of Minder on ITV4 in the early hours and they had a sign person practically in the middle of the screen even blocking out the actors . I just had to give up.

I don't mind having signing people, but please have them on the extreme right of the screen and not interfering with the action.

[Doghouse Riley]

Originally Posted by lundavra

I always presumed they assumed that they had PVRs so could record the programmes to watch at a convenient time.

I would suggest it's more a case of them fulfilling an obligation which does not dictate when, so choosing slots well away from peak viewing times, so the remit has been satisfied.

[Geoff_W]

As an older person still blessed with good hearing, I can sympathise with those less fortunate that mainstream TV is an audio challenge. To support them, technology has been developed to minimise their difficulty, ie hearing aids, sub-titles and signing. I agree that signed versions of programmes in the early hours is not ideal, but if I were deaf I would be happy to record these.

My problem with being forced to watch a SL broadcast is that I have no choice but to suffer the intrusion. The signer is usually placed in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and is therefore in my peripheral vision. I cannot stop myself from constantly being distracted by the movement, so my enjoyment of the programme is ruined. Also, in last night's Time Team the signer's position was often obscuring the name captions of the people taking part in the dig.

I hope this was an error by Ch4, as I understand that there is a SL repeat of the programme at 2.10am on Friday 15th March, rather than a sign (pun intended) of things to come.

[Caxton]

I just wonder what the percentage is of deaf people who cannot read subtitles and who actually watched this programme and the percentage of those who actually wanted to watch the sign language on it who had no facilities to record a programme in the early hours of the morning.

I imagine it would have been very tiny.

[alfster]

Originally Posted by Winchester Lady

Maybe some deaf people would find subtitles distracting. Such intolerance and insensitivity, astounding.

It was rather distracting and I can see why it isn't on main broadcasts.

I mentioned this on the Time Team Facebook page but did apologise to any people 'hard of hearing' as it does sound rather bad to say it.

I wonder whether Channel 4 did it just to wind people up as it was the last ever dig show of Time Team.

[Stansfield]

Originally Posted by Spruce

I put a sheet of A4 up to cover her up!

Plant pot....

After a couple of Minutes, I didn't notice her......that much.

But I wish it had been Suzannah Lipscomb, then I wouldn't have kept my eyes of her.


Despite the Sign Lady.....it was a great Dig.

[Ted Murray]

The name of one of the experts popped up at the bottom of the screen and her surname began with "W". As the "little lady" was waving her arms around I couldn't see the rest of the name, so I'll be forever mystified as to who the expert was.

[willowfan]

Sign-language lady was very distracting, I had to make a real effort not to look at her arm waiving antics.

Didn't realise that yesterday's was the final dig programme, just an experiments compilation and maybe a few more specials to go

RIP Time Team

[Doghouse Riley]

Originally Posted by Caxton

I just wonder what the percentage is of deaf people who cannot read subtitles and who actually watched this programme and the percentage of those who actually wanted to watch the sign language on it who had no facilities to record a programme in the early hours of the morning.

I imagine it would have been very tiny.

I would think the obligation regarding the use of signing, is as much to encourage deaf people to learn it and then use it, there's no subtitles available in face to face conversations.

[Elanor]

I love signing! I'm not deaf and can't really read signing (although I do know some basic Makaton, not BSL) but I find it absolutely fascinating. My mum used to work with sign, so we always watched See Hear when I was a kid, and that interest continued for me. I've been to signed versions of plays and operas too, and I find them quite entrancing sometimes.

There are many deaf people who don't want to read subtitles all the time, for all sorts of reasons. And there is a whole section of the Deaf community who do not really use English, they use BSL, which is a totally different language. BSL has its own grammar and syntax and vocabulary and can't be rendered in subtitles. Not all deaf/Deaf people read English.

[ilovenicnacs]

I too found her very distracting, I only watched the last 45 minutes, but my husband watched from the start and he said she wasn't on for the first 15 minutes! so anyone watching who was deaf would have missed the first half anyway.

[JohnCR]

Well, we tried to be tolerant and sensitive to the needs of others but after ten minutes of viewing, found the signer so distracting that we were ready to ditch the programme altogether.

We ended up using a couple of carefully postioned A4 booklets propped against the screen. Even then, the odd elbow kept popping out from behind.

[snoweyowl]

The repeat now on 4seven appears to be free of the annoying woman waving her arms about.