New series of The Returned to be audio described on More4

The new series of The Returned, starting tonight (16.10.15) on More4 at 9pm, will be the first foreign language drama series broadcast by Channel 4 with audio description.

The second series of the French language supernatural thriller, which will also be subtitled, returns to the small Alpine village where the dead have returned. All episodes of the second series will also be available with audio description after broadcast via catch up on All4.com

It is six months since the valley flooded and the population has almost entirely deserted the town. But some inhabitants have decided to stay on in the hope of finding their loved ones who were taken by the Horde.

The audio description of the eight-part drama comes as part of the broadcaster’s continuing efforts to make its content as accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Channel 4 already provides audio description for its flagship and most popular shows, as well as top films.

Rachel Yendoll, Channel 4’s Head of Content Management, said: “We are always looking at ways of making our content more accessible to viewers and we know that audio description is something that’s really appreciated as it adds so much more to a programme for people with sight loss.

“We already offer audio description on a wide range of our content but we would certainly hope to expand this and audio describe more foreign language drama in 2016.”

Audio description on foreign language content presents considerable challenges. In 2013 Film4 broadcast its first full foreign language film with audio description – Julia’s Eyes a Spanish-language thriller about a woman losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the death of her twin sister.

Channel 4’s latest Annual Report showed that the broadcaster met or exceeded the minimum requirements set by OFCOM for its access services (audio description, subtitling and signing).