Vidar Hjardeng MBE - Would you Bet Against Us? Audio Described Theatre Review

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next in his regular Connect Radio audio described theatre reviews.

This week Vidar was reviewing Paul Hunter’s play ‘Would You Bet Against Us?’ at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Tuesday 31 May 2022 with audio description by professional Describer and football fan Julia Grundy.

‘Would You Bet Against Us?’ takes us back to 1982 and the 40th anniversary of an iconic event for Aston Villa Football Club, for Birmingham and for Paul, the main character in life-time Aston Villa fan Paul Hunter’s funny, poignant and uplifting show about challenging expectations and proving people wrong.

Vidar began by saying to Toby that you don’t necessarily need to be an Aston Villa or football fan to have enjoyed ‘Would You Bet Against Us?’, with Vidar also stating that he is more of an armchair football fan too but he really enjoyed the show.

Vidar mentioned how much Julia Grundy’s pre show introductory notes really helped to set the scene for ‘Would You Bet Against Us?’ and how much Julia’s live audio description benefitted Vidar’s enjoyment of the show again reinforcing how much description adds to his theatre experience as a visually impaired person. 

Toby and Vidar ended by discussing how a show like ‘Would You Bet Against Us?’ is a bit of an underdog story with both Aston Villa winning the European Cup back in 1982 and the life of Paul the main character, and how theatre with that live experience is able to make the story more real and engaging which you may not necessarily gain from, say, a film or TV show. 

To find out more about the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and their access offer for blind and partially sighted people do visit -

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/your-visit/accessibility/audio-described-performances/ 


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