Viewers who tuned in to watch the first episode of Investigating Diana have expressed their annoyance over ‘miniscule’ subtitles – given that much of the programme was in French.
The first episode of Investigating Diana: Death in Paris aired at 9pm on Sunday night on Channel 4.
It explored the tragic death of the Princess of Wales and the joint investigation between British and French authorities that followed.
Diana death documentary criticised for hard to read subtitles
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The first episode of Investigating Diana interviewed French investigators including Martine Monteil, who was the head of the Brigade Criminelle at the time of the accident
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Viewers of the documentary, which examines conspiracy theories surrounding Diana’s death and follows how the police approached the investigation, claimed they struggled to read the subtitles
The documentary interviewed the officers tasked with investigating Diana’s death – many of whom only speak French.
However, while subtitles have been added to the bottom of the screen, viewers complained they struggled to read what was being said.
One person tweeted a photo of someone straining to read a tiny piece of paper and said: ‘The microscopic subtitles are really disturbing me.’
Another Twitter user made a similar joke and posted a photo of a woman squinting as she appeared to use mammoth effort to take a look at something.
They wrote: ‘Trying to read the subtitles.’
One person suggested the subtitles themselves flashed up on the screen too quickly and could have lingered for longer.
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Twitter users were quick to point out an issue with the subtitles on the programme as they struggled to read the subtitles
One viewer said: ‘I know Princess Diana died in France, but with so much of Investigating Diana being in French, with English subtitles, I really can’t be a****.’
They wrote: ‘Will could have allowed for the subtitles to be larger and on-screen for just a little bit longer.’
However, some viewers who did not struggle with subtitles praised the documentary for its interviews, with one saying it was ‘wonderfully detailed’.
The documentary interviewed Martine Monteil, head of the Brigade Criminelle at the time of the accident.
She said: ‘This might be a traffic accident but it couldn’t be treated as a normal accident.’
Ms Monteil later revealed her ‘very fine’ investigation at the site of the crash led her to recover several key pieces of evidence.
She recalled: ‘We started to find these little clues. We saw signs of braking.
‘Pieces of red light from another car. On the side of the car were traces of paint.’
She added: ‘I even found some tiny pearls. They belonged to The Princess.’
The film crew also interviewed a paparazzo who was following the car Diana was travelling in on the night she died.
Described as ‘both suspects and witnesses’ by investigator Eric Gigou, he described taking several paparazzi into custody.
Photographer Jacques Langevin told the programme: ‘Whether photographers chased the car or not, that’s not what caused the accident. It’s not true.’
