AUNTIE’S TV viewers have complained about “mumbling” actors and actresses of late, believing BBC dramas to be blighted by poor diction and muttered lines.

My advice? Get thyselves to an RSC calibre Cygnet Theatre performance.

Last week, the esteemed Exeter theatre group tackled Oscar Wilde’s classic, The Importance of Being Earnest, at Taunton’s Creative Innovation Centre.

With War Horse voice coach Jacquie Crago as their director there was no fear of a single word going unpronounced, unprojected or unimportant.

In fact, the language, dotted with “absurds”, was good enough to chew.

What’s more, under Crago, Wilde’s wit had been turned into a convincing musical with the actors swinging brilliantly from spoken word to song.

And it just went on from there, each character made distinct through their voice.

Scott Goodair’s Earnest growled with frustration in attempting to swipe back his stolen cigarette case, and his beloved Gwendolyn (Sally Sidney Geake) sizzled seductively as she purposefully pushed out each and every vowel, while her society-conscious mother, Lady Augusta Bracknell (Louisa Wilde), right, could not have sounded haughtier had she dropped her ‘aitches’ further.

Even Cecily’s teenage squeals were perfectly enunciated.

Thank you, Cygnet, for a cracking last performance of the season. Just a shame it wasn’t more packed out for you.

DAISY BLACKLOCK