Former home secretary David Blunkett has criticised broadcasters for putting out substandard subtitles and worshipping younger viewers.
The MP, who was born blind, said deaf people were struggling with subtitles such as “the Arsenal player has been fouled by a zebra” (instead of referring to footballer Patrice Evra) and “looking for the prince of chemical and bionicle weapons” (principally chemical and biological weapons).
He complained that blind people were left frustrated when foreign dramas and documentaries were not dubbed.
Mr Blunkett said that broadcasters were failing to deal with a “growing problem” of an ageing population, suffering from blindness and deafness.
He said: “Broadcasters talk a good deal about equality, but preaching is not enough. In an ageing population, people with hearing and sight impairments are becoming part of the mainstream.
“It’s no longer about a minority: we’re a major sector of the viewing public, and we have the same rights as everyone else who pays the licence fee.
“Today, the way TV executives worship the cult of youth seems to be an unstoppable fetish,” Mr Blunkett added.
“It is the trendy, the metropolitan and … the under-40s who determine what we view and what we listen to.
“But much of the spending power reflects an older age group. The ageing population wields a very powerful incentive: our financial muscle.”
He continued: “There is an increasing tendency for overseas material to be broadcast without being dubbed.
“I appreciate that many people don’t like dubbed dialogue, but if you are blind it’s invaluable you can piece together the storylines simply by listening to what is said.”