The 58-year-old BBC Scotland weather presenter sparked a wave of complaints after viewers claimed they could barely make out her forecasts, with one saying she was “virtually incomprehensible” even with the television turned up. But Scottish viewers quickly came to Judith’s defence — and pointed to something far more unexpected happening behind the scenes. BBC has now admitted there was a technical problem affecting the audio levels during her broadcasts

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THE BBC has apologised after viewers said they could not understand the “hard accent” of a Scottish weather presenter.

Judith Ralston, 58, a regular north of the border, spent a week working nationally in London ­earlier this month.

News anchor Joy Dunlop sitting in the BBC Reporting Scotland studio.
The BBC has apologised after viewers complained they could not understand Scottish weather presenter Judith Ralston’s ‘hard accent’ during her first week on the national news
Weather presenter Judith Ralston in front of a map of Scotland showing rainfall.
The presenter is usually seen presenting bulletins north of the border for the Beeb, but was having a stint on the national service Credit: instagram

But one person went online to say she was “virtually incomprehensible” even with the sound on the TV turned right up on segments including the lunchtime news.

Another moaned that Judith “has a hard accent to always understand”.

But Scottish viewers defended the former opera singer.

One said: “Her accent isn’t the problem, her microphone, however, seems to be an issue as it fades in and out.”

The Beeb confirmed a technical problem, now fixed, had caused “the audio levels to be lower than intended”.

A spokesman said: “We received complaints regarding the audio quality during weather forecasts presented by Judith Ralston.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

Judith, who joined BBC Scotland in 1999 as a reporter before moving into weather, said she enjoyed her London stint.

She said: “It was great to get the opportunity.”

Before moving into broadcasting, Edinburgh-born Ralston was an opera singer but her career was cut short after she developed problems with the muscles in her voicebox as a result of bad teaching.