Live-subtitling is pretty perilous work, as the viewers of BBC Breakfast discovered yesterday.

Ad

A seemingly harmless report on the decline of fishing along England’s coast became unexpectedly awkward due to a subtitle blunder, which did not look very kindly on the small Norfolk town of Cromer.

As news stories go it was pretty tame, until reporter Jayne McCubbin talked about how the number of fishermen in Cromer – which is famous for its crabs – has declined.

But did the subtitles say crabs? No. No they didn’t, they said “crap” – as one eagle-eyed viewer pointed out…

https://twitter.com/Mr_Hughesy/status/905311646318518273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladbible.com%2Fentertainment%2Fviral-film-and-tv-bbc-subtitles-manage-to-accidentally-insult-an-entire-town-20170906

BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker quickly reassured everyone that they had been talking about “crabs”, not “crap”.

https://twitter.com/mrdanwalker/status/905316033187246080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladbible.com%2Fentertainment%2Fviral-film-and-tv-bbc-subtitles-manage-to-accidentally-insult-an-entire-town-20170906

It is the latest in a series of subtitle mistakes, which make for very entertaining alternative news…

https://twitter.com/mrdanwalker/status/881774956023083008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladbible.com%2Fentertainment%2Fviral-film-and-tv-bbc-subtitles-manage-to-accidentally-insult-an-entire-town-20170906

https://twitter.com/TinaDaheley/status/429396229781741568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladbible.com%2Fentertainment%2Fviral-film-and-tv-bbc-subtitles-manage-to-accidentally-insult-an-entire-town-20170906

https://twitter.com/farmfeatures/status/446377082395066368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ladbible.com%2Fentertainment%2Fviral-film-and-tv-bbc-subtitles-manage-to-accidentally-insult-an-entire-town-20170906

https://twitter.com/andytuk/status/477749986147721216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fpatricksmith%2Ftimes-subtitles-failed-so-magnificently-they-almost-won

Ad

https://twitter.com/RoxyMartinique/status/440911803468771328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fpatricksmith%2Ftimes-subtitles-failed-so-magnificently-they-almost-won

Authors

Ellie HarrisonWriter, RadioTimes.com

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Ad
Ad

Download RT App today!

Enjoy entertaining features, interviews and videos featuring your favourite A-list celebrities.
Download now
Ad
Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

RT offer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

hello
An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

summer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

More

promotional article footer

more