The Jetty viewers complain about 'mumbling' in Jenna Coleman's new BBC drama
Some people said they were switching off the crime series
What did you miss?
The Jetty has come under fire from fed up viewers who said they had to switch on subtitles because of the "mumbling".
The BBC drama stars Jenna Coleman as a detective whose investigation into a fire in her quiet Lancashire town takes a dark turn when it starts to look like it may be connected to sexual abuse and an unsolved cold case. It got under way on Monday, 15 July, but a lot of viewers apparently found it hard to focus on the twists and turns because of the sound.
Many posted messages on social media saying they were struggling to hear the dialogue — and some even said it had made them turn it off altogether.
What, how and why?
The series follows detective Ember Manning (Coleman), widowed mum to teen daughter Hannah (Ruby Stokes). She is looking into an arson attack at a boat hut when a young girl lands on her windscreen as she is sat in her car, triggering a new line in her investigation.
At the same time, podcaster Riz Samuel (Weruche Opia) is looking into the cold case of a missing schoolgirl.
As the first episode started, several people said they had to put on the subtitles as they couldn't hear properly. "Mumbling, dull and boring," one person posted on X.
"Can't understand what they're saying," said another. Someone else quipped: "Murble murble murble Murble murble? Murble murble murble OK."
"Why is sound on The Jetty so bad?" asked somebody else. Another viewer posted: "Am I the only one finding The Jetty hard to pick up? Is it the sound? The accents? Are they mumbling?"
Read more: The Jetty
Someone else said they had "given up" on the series over it, as another viewer remarked: "Gosh I must be deaf, need subtitles."
One wrote: "There’s definitely an issue with the sound. When Jenna Coleman was in the car couldn’t understand her. Lass next to her OK. Girls walking couldn’t understand. And the music doesn’t help. Shouldn’t need subtitles more likely the off switch."
"I'd love to watch The Jetty but the sound quality is c***," posted one irked viewer. "The Jetty could have been good if it wasn't for the scenes in almost total darkness and mumbling, having to put subtitles on is ridiculous," remarked somebody else.
Another wrote: "Tried to watch The Jetty on @BBCOne - gave up after 25 minutes, can’t make out a word. Mumble, mumble, mumble .. anyone agree, perhaps my hearing."
What else did viewers say about The Jetty?
Other viewers were intrigued by the drama, saying the episode — which was the first of four — was "promising". "Already raced through the first episode and a half of The Jetty and I’m obsessed," one impressed viewer wrote.
"Looks promising & the setting is stunning," said one. Another commented: "For now, different things are not yet connected in The Jetty, but I want to know more. This is intriguing. So I will be there for episode 2. Apparently, some people struggled with sound and dialogue, but I have to say I had no problem on that side."
Others praised Coleman's performance. One said: "I LOVED Jenna’s performance throughout. She’s such a good actress and she can make you feel her anxiety attacks and anger and sadness so well."
"Binge watching The Jetty... blown away... Jenna Coleman is mesmerising!" another agreed.
What has Jenna Coleman been in before?
Coleman got her big break playing Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale almost 20 years ago, and has had other showy roles in series such as Doctor Who, Victoria and The Serpent.
In 2018 she starred in The Cry, playing a teacher whose baby boy apparently vanishes while she and her husband are visiting relatives in Australia.
Yahoo has contacted the BBC for comment.
The Jetty is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
