This study investigates the impact of integrating Personalised Headnotes (PHNs) into the translated subtitling of Chinese comedies to enhance the viewing experience for English-speaking audiences, employing relevance theory and the concept of personalisation as the foundational theoretical frameworks. A mixed-methods approach, combining eye-tracking technology, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews, was used to gather comprehensive data on how viewers perceive and comprehend PHNs. This research design enabled a detailed examination of participants’ responses to PHNs, based on comprehension tests, attitude surveys, and qualitative interviews with a valid sample of 34 participants. The findings indicate that the use of PHNs can enhance the comprehension of cultural references, although their impact on humour appreciation varies by the type of PHNs employed. Specifically, PHN1, which was constructed using a domestication strategy, is favoured by the audience for entertainment purposes. Conversely, PHN2, which employs a foreignisation strategy, is preferred for educational purposes as it facilitates a deeper understanding of cultural content. This highlights the importance of tailoring the applications of PHNs to align with viewer intentions. This study highlights a complicated interplay between PHNs design and viewer reception, emphasising the potential for PHNs to enrich the viewing experience across diverse audience segments. It challenges the one-size-fits-all approach in subtitling, advocating for a more viewer-centric strategy in media localisation. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of considering individual viewer preferences and cultural backgrounds in the translation and subtitling process, which could offer some guidance for future practices in AVT and media design.