Tv Added Dialogue (Ad)

[DGR]

Whoever had the bright idea of adding descriptive dialogue (referred to as AD in the listings) to TV dramas? I first noticed it with repeats of Heartbeat on ITV3 but was then horrified to see that it had spread over to the BBC in programmes such as Silent Witness.

I cannot be the only one to find it intensely irritating and distracting, and it is an insult to the intelligence of viewers since all it does is state the obvious by describing what the viewer can see for themselves. In Heartbeat it also masks the accompanying music which previously was an enjoyable part of watching the programme. If I want descriptive dialogue, I listen to the radio so, please, whoever you are, let’s have no more of it.

[Aquariel]

Audio Description isn't intended for you - it's meant for those who can't see very well and need additional help to follow what's going on. For those people, it's necessary and not insulting at all - the same way subtitles are used for those who are hard of hearing.

You should be able to turn it off. You must have enabled it by accident as I don't get that by default when watching Silent Witness.

[Buenchico]

Yes, you've definitely turned it on by accident.

If you can't work out how to turn it off, please tell us the make and model of your TV set (or Freeview box, or whatever) so that we can try to help.

[ABerrant]

"...it is an insult to the intelligence of viewers"

Oh, the irony.

[Georgiesmum]

Its a lifeline to many people, including my dad who was very deaf.

[brionon]

DGR I bet you are feeling Really Stupid now aren't you ? Never mind -we All make mistakes.

[BenDToy]

Clealry doesn't insult your intelligence...!

[Svejk]

Why would a deaf person benefit?
Geo/mum.

[DGR]

Thank you Aquariel and Buenchico for your helpful imputs which happily put me on track. I had never heard of Added Dialogue (AD) before and when it suddenly appeared I assumed that it was an enhancement imposed upon us whether we wanted it or not. Guided by what you said, I brought up the menu on my receiver and indeed saw that it was optional - but it was also turned off. However I almost always have to watch programmes I want to see by recording them and I found that my recorder also supported AD and noticed an “AD” button on the remote. This is adjacent the “Chapter” button which I use frequently and I must have pressed the AD button in error. My problem is that I never read the instructions or user guide before I start using something - obviously I should! I can appreciate the benefit to someone who is visually impaired and have absolutely no problem with that now that I know that it is optional.