Thanks to Audio Description, the blind have the best seat in the house

I did not mean to snort so loudly. There I was watching the amazing Simon Russell Beale in King Lear at the National Theatre and things were all getting a bit nasty — what with daughters scheming and people having their eyes gouged out. And then, through a small earpiece, which no one else could hear, I heard the immortal words, said in a deep and quiet voice: ‘Lear enters to find Goneril clenched in tight embrace with Edgar. He clasps her tightly.’ At my snort, a very serious man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and ‘shushed’ me. He had no idea that I was tuned into the wonderful world of audio description, or AD as the industry refers to it.

For the uninitiated, AD has been around for some time. Essentially, it is vocal explanation of what is happening on stage or on screen, and gives visually impaired and blind people the most important visual clues that carry the story or plot. Like subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing people, it is increasingly being preprogrammed on DVDs and broadcast through headphones in the cinema, and is currently available on most terrestrial channels. Essentially, it conveys the most important visual aspects of the story by providing commentary during natural pauses and convenient moments of quiet.

According to BBC archives, the first film to be audio-described was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Sadly, I missed out on this, but was first introduced to AD watching the 007 series, starting with Dr No about five years ago. All I can say is, before you tune in, hang on to your sofa, ladies and gentlemen. The descriptions of Honey Rider (Ursula Andress) coming out of the sea in her bikini are genius.