Mumblegate: TV sound problems are fault of actors, not modern technology, Steven Berkoff says

Mumbling on television is not the fault of modern technology but actors and directors who fail to appreciate the power of language, Steven Berkoff has said.

Berkoff, the actor and director, said he finds it increasingly difficult to understand “more than one word in ten” spoken on television and film, with stars choosing “natural” performances over audibility.

Speaking after the first episode of SS-GB, the BBC drama which was heavily criticised for poor sound quality this week, he said too many actors relied on sound technicians to fix problems with dialogue afterwards.

Mumbling on television has previously been blamed on modern televisions, which increasingly prioritise screen size and definition, leaving small speakers on the back of units sending sound towards the living room wall.

But Berkoff argued such claims were unfair, with veteran broadcasters like Sir David Attenborough still being able to make themselves heard on such screens.

“I surmise that the reason is that the director wishes them to sound more natural so as to appear real and not as if they are acting,” he said, in a letter to the Times newspaper.

“The beauty and sound of language is thought to be subservient to mumbling reality.

“In recent American movies the actors, and particularly actresses, hardly speak their lines, but merely breathe them in a lifeless atonal whisper.

“Never mind, the soundman can amplify them. What you get is a bland, slightly boomy sound unfettered to meaning or emphasis.”

He added: “One of the reasons, according to a commissioning editor you quote, is that flat-screen TVs have speakers at the back: curiously I can hear every news progamme with crystal clarity and stalwarts like Sir David Attenborough enunciate every syllable.

“I think I must blame the actors who are not being taught the power of language.

“Watch those marvellous old actors from the 1950s and 1960s, such as Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, to hear how brilliantly spoken language can be: dynamic and persuasive.”

Steven Berkoff

Berkoff, star of Octopussy, Rambo and A Clockwork Orange, is one of many SS-GB viewers who struggled with the first episode, with some claiming it was easier to understand the native German-speaking actors than Sam Riley speaking English.

Up to 100 viewers complained officially to the BBC overnight.

The corporation has since acknowledged the problems, saying in a formal response: “We are disappointed to learn that some viewers experienced problems with the sound in this drama.

“The BBC takes audibility very seriously and the producers of SS-GB thought carefully about audibility in advance of transmission, testing the drama in line with sound guidelines.

“However, in light of viewer comments about audibility following transmission of the first episode, we have looked again at the sound levels to improve the audibility for those viewers who experienced any problems.

“We hope that our actions demonstrate how important your feedback is to us and that you continue to watch this series of which the BBC is immensely proud.”

Asked to clarify whether anything would be changed or improved ahead of Sunday night’s second episode, a spokesman said there was nothing to add to the statement.