BBC drama Boiling Point has been hit with complaints that the dialogue is ‘inaudible’ and people have to watch with subtitles on.
The new show is a sequel to the 2021 feature film of the same name and drew an audience of 2.4million.
Vinette Robinson stars as the head chef in a busy kitchen who has to guide her team through extremely stressful dinner services.
Many viewers took to social media to slam the dialogue with many saying they couldn’t understand what was being said.
However, this isn’t the first time that the BBC has been slammed for mumbling dialogue as viewers complained about the 2014 dramas Jamaica Inn and Happy Valley, the 2017 drama Rellik and the 2022 drama Marriage.
Vinette Robinson (right) stars as the head chef in a busy kitchen who has to guide her team through extremely stressful dinner services
According to Malcolm Johnson, of the Institute of Professional Sound, this is a deliberate choice by directors to persuade actors to downplay their delivery to make it ‘more realistic’, he told The Telegraph.
But viewers at home were less than impressed by the quality of the audio of Boiling Point and there has been countless posts hitting out at the ‘inaudible’ dialogue.
One viewer said online: ‘The sound wasn’t so clear on a regular TV (2022 LG) which to be honest is a lot of the BBC audience in this timeslot and does seem to be a recurring issue with drama.’
Another said: ‘BBC needs to sort sound issues out.’
‘This TV version of Boiling Point is not a patch on the film,’ another added, ‘Way, way, way too much chatter and personal stuff going on for a professional kitchen in a high-end restaurant. And awful sound too…’
One person complained: ‘Boiling Point, yet another BBC drama I can’t make head nor tail of because the sound is awful and it’s impossible to make out the dialogue.
Many took to social media to complain about the sound of the audio on the BBC show
According to a TV expert, the decision to make the audio unclear is a deliberate choice
‘1/2hr was more than enough for me. Done watching the series now. Will have to find something else to watch on a Sunday night.’
Another fuming viewer added: ‘Boiling Point: iPlayer. The busy life of a restaurant kitchen is captured brilliantly in the first episode.
‘But there is a huge problem with the sound, especially as there are different accents amongst the cast.
‘I had to watch with subtitles.’
‘What happened to the sound on Boiling Point, ruined it for me!’ Added a viewer.
And another continued: ‘Boiling Point, it started with very poor sound, then I felt sick with the stupid drunk camera operator followed by lashings of overacting.
’30 seconds and I was out. Watched something I could hear instead.
‘Good luck but not for me. Come on BBC, pull your socks up.’
This isn’t the first time the BBC has been slammed for having ‘inaudible’ dialogue with mumbling actors
A lot of people said they turned off the show because it was difficult to hear while others needed subtitles
One of the sound engineers for the mixing, Jules Woods, said on social media that people should listen to the show in 5.1 surround sound.
Speaking on social media, he said: ‘Btw. #BoilingPoint is being transmitted in 5.1 tonight. If you have the power – I would recommend.
‘There’s a lot of movement and space that we put into the sound of the episodes which really pops in surround. Obvs the stereo mix is banging too.’
Head of production sound recording at the National Film and TV School, Simon Clark, said viewers without surround sound systems could struggle to understand what was being said.
The BBC admitted there was a problem and said it was working to improve the quality of the three remaining episodes.
A spokesman said: ‘There is a limited sound issue which has affected some viewers. BBC iPlayer viewing is unaffected.
‘The series is currently being reviewed and any necessary technical adjustments needed will be made ahead of next week’s episode.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk