Booming soundtracks and incomprehensible* actors’ dialogues often made TV dramas hard to follow until now. The BBC is trialling technology that will allow viewers to tune out background noise and boost characters’ voices.

A recent episode of BBC One medical drama “Casualty” was the first show to be made with the new tool.

A version of the episode on the BBC website now features a slider button; moving it to the right retains the standard audio and shifting it to the left reduces background noise, music included, to make the dialogue clearer.

The project is targeted at the 11 million Britons with hearing loss and any others who struggle to make out what actors are saying.

Frustrated viewers have filed thousands of complaints with the BBC after they were unable to make out the dialogue in tense dramas like “Jamaica Inn” and “Happy Valley.”

Some sound effects, like the beep of a heart monitor in medical shows like “Casualty,” are crucial to an episode’s narrative. The new tech allows these more important noises to stay prominent, while less essential sounds are turned down.(SD-Agencies)