Are you listening, broadcasters? TV sound quality seems to be getting worse, says the presenter

The subject of hard-to-hear dialogue isn’t a new one – but the problem seems to be getting worse. You’d have thought the BBC would have learnt its lesson when over 2,000 people wrote in to complain about the poor sound quality and inaudible dialogue in their adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn in 2014. But, in my view, they haven’t, for there’s been similar criticism of the new BBC series of Happy Valley. And it’s such a shame because they’re both very good dramas.

So what’s the cause of the problem? I believe the standards imposed by TV sound departments have slipped, because not only are certain lines inaudible in Happy Valley, but the tonal quality varies so much. In one scene it’s tinny and trebly, in the next it’s muffled and bassy. I know this for a fact because my wife Judy and I have quite a sophisticated sound system in our living room.

The BBC put out a statement about Happy Valley claiming the problem was down to some people not understanding the regional accents. That’s c*bblers! I’ve had tweets from people in Yorkshire, where I used to work, saying, ‘We’re born and bred here and we can’t hear the dialogue either!’

Another of my favourites is the BBC drama Shetland which just ended (see ‘Box set release’, below). That’s full of strong accents and wild weather, but you can hear every word. We also had no trouble with The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story on BBC2, despite the American accents.

The problem seems to occur most when the actors have to mutter or whisper something. That’s called a ‘stage whisper’ in the theatre – but if the whispers in Happy Valley aren’t audible, the director should reshoot the scene or re-record the voices. (In the show’s defence, the sound improved in episode three, the last one before this column went to press, so maybe adjustments were ordered).

The BBC is not on its own over this issue. Sky Atlantic viewers complained that they found it hard to hear what was said in the US drama True Detective with Colin Farrell, and Channel 4 received criticism over mumbled dialogue in Southcliffe, which told the story of a mass shooting.

I think the only way to resolve the matter is for the BBC – and other broadcasters – to launch an inquiry, because the problem is not down to that silly Mr Madeley and his wife and the rest of the nation, getting old and hard-of-hearing. It’s either a technical blunder or a mistaken belief that muttering makes scenes more atmospheric. It’s daft to deny it, because if you can’t hear what’s going on, what’s the point of showing such dramas at all? Richard’s new novel, The Night Book, a psychological drama, is out later this year.