Music during television programmes

Yes I find it annoying too. Love watching Escape to the Country but there is always music being played when people are talking. Very irritating!

We put subtitles on. But you’re right is super annoying. Need to put subs on anyway because is a recent trend which dictates actors mumble and mutter.

They do this on Gold Rush. It is a programme about digging and using heavy equipment, light background music is just not appropriate and makes hearing everything very difficult.

I find most background music on TV adds nothing and is a best annoying and at worst drowns speech.

I am also dreading having to listen to the same old Christmas pop songs being piped at high volume wherever I go.

I prefer to enjoy Christmas carols and music I have chosen to listen to.

They do this on The Chase, so I cannot really make out what the questions are on the cash builder section.

Repair Shop is another that plays off putting music.

This complaint has been discussed for so long and still they do it. My dh is especially affected as he has profound hearing problems and wearing hearing aids causes the problem to drive him mad. So unnecessary as a lot of this goes on in documentaries. However we have noticed that where the presenter is good this is less likely to happen. It’s almost as if the producers think the content is so lacking it needs “drama”. Perhaps there should be a warning before the programme similar to others about the content. Probably along the lines of this programme may well drive you crazy if you want to hear the dialogue.

They add it to increase the drama to a poor dialogue, I’m watching a news feature now and there is music in the background, I too switch subtitles on.

It's not just on TV. Yesterday I was watching a YouTube sewing tutorial - there was totally unnecessary and distracting music playing behind the speech

Yes, unnecessary and distracting, but also hopeless for someone like me who has a hearing loss.

Far too loud, making speech hard to hear.
We always have sub titles on, but when you have to read you miss what’s going on in the programme especially if it’s competing with unnecessary music.

I just wont watch a programme if the music starts up.

I hate it when watching a film and you have to turn up tge sound quite high to hear what is being said,then suddenly music is playing and it blows your ears off,so you spend all of tge film turning tge sound up and down,I also hate it when watching a film,and you can't see the actors or what's going on because the screen is so dark

When they put on music we email and complain. Likewise when they fail to put on subtitles or the subtitles dont match what is being said. Prob doesnt have any effect but it makes us feel better.

I constantly complain to OH about loud background music.
Documentaries especially are irritatingly noisy with loud xylophone music which is sometime so loud that it pierces my eardrum.
I would love to know who to complain to about this.
Is it the TV. companies, also which department?

It’s awful,I think they teach that at Film School as it has jumped into everything,same as when they had the faze of everyone walking backwards on travel shows.

I totally agree. It would be interesting to hear from a spokesperson of these companies as to why they do it.

Totally agree

It drives me crazy, music, drumming, piano playing. I want to listen to the programme not boom, boom. Really annoys me and don't understand why it is put on.

Tbere shoul be a music free option - especially with modern technology I'm sure that would be easy ?

Why is the “background “ music always louder than the dialogue? I’m watching The Mirror and the Light on iPlayer with one finger on the volume control to shut down the howling high voice which keeps interrupting.

I have to put my fingers in my ears at the final blast on the intro to The One Show Very painful.
I once complained about the loud background sound. (is it really music?) I was told you can go into settings on the tv and adjust the sound for speech. I will have to ask a GS.

Don't get me started on mumbling, suddenly it sounds like everyone has a sore throat and it's impossible to understand a word and add in the music,! I often put the subtitles on but it's hard to read and watch.

Yes, same here, music is totally unnecessary most of the time and far too loud. Subtitles on most of the time and I have good hearing, but most actors now seem to mumble.