The stars of the much-loved Wittering Whitehalls podcast on how a hearing check has changed their relationship

Daily Mail​

28-07-2025

Michael and Hilary Whitehall have been married for 39 years and – as anyone who has listened to their podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, knows – they love to disagree.
As the parents of stand-up comedian Jack Whitehall, the former talent agent (Michael) and actor (Hilary) have found new later-in-life careers as podcasters, loved both for their amusing insights and for their gentle bickering.
Which is probably why they didn't notice at first that Michael's hearing was causing some frustrations.
'I genuinely do think that our arguing has got worse in recent years,' admits Hilary. 'And yes, I would argue that some of it is perhaps to do with hearing loss, because it's quite a tricky subject to navigate.'
Mishaps and misunderstandings
It wasn't until Michael, 85, went to Specsavers for a hearing check that he was told that he had good hearing for his age but was struggling with consonant sounds.
'We have misunderstandings on an hourly basis,' laughs Hilary. 'Just now I said: 'I'm going to brush my hair' and Michael said: 'Do you have time to wash your hair?'.
'We live in a house which has got six flights of stairs, so there is a lot of shouting up and down the stairs.
'And then there's lots of me losing my temper and stomping up the stairs... because he hasn't caught what I said!'
Michael complained actors were mumbling through every film... then he realised maybe it wasn't the standard of modern acting that was the problem.
It was the same at the theatre. 'I'd say: 'The trouble with that actor is they don't train them any more, he just mumbles and mumbles'.
'But I'm not going to say that any more of course!'
Finding what's needed
Those small issues with hearing caused their fair share of amusing anecdotes, as well as a few everyday irritations.
'What really annoys Michael about me is that I come into a room and immediately turn the sound on the television down,' says Hilary.
'And then he comes in and immediately turns it up, so we're constantly battling with each other over the remote control.
'And of course there is an element (we've been married almost 40 years) of 'Is it selective hearing?',' laughs Hilary. 'Is my voice just a noise or is he actually not hearing me?'
How a hearing check helped
Neither could believe how easy the hearing check was, and they were immediately put at ease by the hearing expert.
'She was so reassuring, the whole thing was painless,' says Hilary. 'The hearing expert at Specsavers said, actually your [Michael's] hearing is pretty good for your age, a little bit of upper range hearing loss, but what you're missing is the consonants.
'You're hearing an approximation of what is being said and it's very interesting to have that pointed out to you by an expert, because that made me more understanding.'
For Michael, the solution was as straightforward as the hearing check. He got two hearing devices, one for each ear. They were small and discreet and even matched to his hair colour. Now, Michael can simply pop them in and use them when he feels the need.
'The last time I saw what was then known as a hearing aid was with my grandfather. He had a whole apparatus with wires and a crackling box on the front, which he kept hitting all the time while saying, 'Michael, speak up!'.
'I imagined there had been an improvement, but hadn't realised it had improved quite to the extent it has – where you can hardly see them.'
Hilary adds: 'At a wedding we went to recently nobody knew that he had them in; they are beautifully designed and very discreet.'
Spreading the word
The couple are now working with Specsavers to help encourage others to take action.
Hilary explains: 'Michael always says that we're all happy to go and have a dental check, a sight check, but the one thing we don't do is have a hearing check, because there is a stigma about hearing loss.
'But I would say to anybody: go for a hearing check: they're very quick, very efficient and very accurate.'
Couples say 'What?' more often than 'I love you'
In romantic relationships, research for Specsavers found saying 'What?' is more common than 'I love you' for couples aged 55+*. Almost half (46 per cent) of Britons had bickered with a partner due to not hearing properly; 36 per cent said it happened weekly. And 15 per cent were misunderstood by their partner at least once a day.
Hearing loss can impact how we experience and enjoy life, and our relationships with loved ones. It's what Michael and Hilary found, with small misunderstandings and irritations as a result of Michael's hearing loss.
But Specsavers makes it easy to keep track of your hearing health, with free hearing checks in store, expert advice and a wide range of hearing devices to suit individual needs and lifestyles.
How to book your check
Simply book online at specsavers.co.uk and choose your local store, or call them direct. Your hearing expert will ask some easy health-related questions, use a small camera to examine the health of your ear and will then play sounds at different pitches through headphones to check your hearing.
Based on your results, the Specsavers hearing experts can then make recommendations and they'll help you find the best solution for you.
Symptoms to look out for
Changes to hearing can happen gradually, so hearing experts recommend booking a check if you're struggling to listen to conversations or the television, if speaking on the phone is difficult, or if you feel like you have to ask people to repeat themselves.Sometimes conversations in groups can be challenging, and concentrating on listening can leave you feeling stressed or tired.
There is no need to be embarrassed. Earlier intervention can actually mean you have a better chance of managing and improving your hearing.
And with today's hearing devices connected to phones and even linked to appliances at home, they can be easier and more discreet to manage than ever before.