THE Listeners is a captivating BBC drama based on Jordan Tannahill’s 2021 novel of the same name.
The four-part miniseries explores the mysterious phenomenon of “The Hum” and its profound impact on a small community.
Exploring the rise of conspiracy culture in the West, the BBC describes The Listeners as “Enigmatic, provocative and haunting”.
The synopsis reads: “The Listeners centres around Claire (Rebecca Hall), a popular English teacher, who begins to hear a low humming sound that no one else around her can hear.
“This seemingly innocuous noise gradually upsets the balance of her life, increasing tension between herself and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Ashley.
“But despite multiple doctors, no obvious source or medical cause can be found.
“When she discovers that a student of hers, Kyle, can also hear the sound, the two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship.
“Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families, friends and colleagues, they fall in with a disparate group of neighbours, led by a charismatic couple, Jo and Omar, who also claim they can hear what they call ‘The Hum’ – but rather than track down the source to stop it, believe it is a gift, heard only by a ‘chosen few’.”
Who is in the cast of The Listeners?
Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall delivers a powerful performance as Claire, a high school English teacher whose life is upended when she begins hearing an inexplicable low-frequency sound.
Her portrayal captures Claire’s descent into obsession and isolation as she grapples with the mysterious hum.
Rebecca has starred in Hollywood blockbusters including The Prestige (2006), The BFG (2016) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Ollie West
Ollie West plays Kyle, one of Claire’s students who also becomes affected by the hum.
His performance showcases Kyle’s vulnerability and the unlikely bond that forms between him and Claire as they navigate their shared experience.
Ollie has also appeared in the 2022 movie The Sparrow.
Prasanna Puwanarajah
Prasanna Puwanarajah portrays Claire’s husband Paul.
He struggles to understand and support his wife as she becomes increasingly consumed by the hum.
Prasanna is best known for his 2022 role playing Martin Bashir in The Crown.
Mia Tharia
Mia Tharia plays Claire and Paul’s daughter Ashley.
She finds herself caught between her parents’ growing tension as she prepares for her transition from school to university.
Mia portrayed Polly in the series Phoenix Rise (2023-24), as well as starring in the movies September Says (2024) and the upd=coming Klara and the Sun (2025).
Amr Waked
Amr Waked takes on the role of Omar.
Omar is one half of the enigmatic couple who lead a support group for those affected by the hum.
Amr featured in the movies Syriana (2005), Lucy (2014) and Geostorm (2017).
Gayle Rankin
Gayle Rankin plays Omar’s partner Jo.
Jo is the co-leader of the support group Claire and Kyle become involved with.
Gayle played Queen Victoria in The Greatest Showman (2017) and Sheila the She-Wolf in TV series GLOW (2017-19).
Other cast members include:
- Akai Coleman as Rory
- Franc Ashman as Cassandra
- Romy Kelleher as Raina
- Lucy Chambers as Sophie
- Miamh McCann as Siobhan
- Delroy Brown as Aldo
Plot
The series follows Claire Kutty, a popular high school English teacher whose life is dramatically altered when she begins hearing a low, persistent humming sound that no one else around her can perceive.
As Claire struggles to find an explanation for the noise, she encounters medical dismissiveness and growing tension within her family.
Claire discovers that one of her students, Kyle, can also hear the hum.
Together they search for answers and eventually join a support group of other “Listeners”.
What begins as a community of shared experience soon takes on cult-like qualities as the group’s leaders, Omar and Jo, encourage members to view the hum as a gift rather than a burden.
As Claire becomes more deeply involved with the group, her relationships with her husband Paul and daughter Ashley become increasingly strained.
The series explores themes of isolation, belief and the lengths people will go to find meaning and connection in the face of unexplained phenomena.
The story culminates in a dramatic but ambiguous ending that leaves viewers questioning the true nature of the hum and its impact on those who hear it.
While the show is fictional, it draws inspiration from real-world phenomena, particularly the “Windsor Hum” reported in the Canadian city of Windsor in 2011.
Filming locations
While no specific area is named as the location for the story, the series is set somewhere in Middle England.
In Jordan Tannahill’s novel, the story took place in a small-town American setting.
The show features a mix of suburban and rural landscapes.
The BBC hasn’t revealed the exact filming locations for the show, but it was shot in and around Greater Manchester, including Jodrell Bank, Cheshire.
Executive producer Ed Guiney said: “We shot the series around Manchester, but it’s not set anywhere specific, it is English suburbia, so with Claire’s family, neighbours and other people in the group, it was about finding people who could populate that world credibly.”
How to watch The Listeners
The Listeners premiered on November 19, 2024, on BBC One at 9 pm.
The series consists of four episodes to be aired weekly at the same time, each running for approximately one hour.
All episodes were made available as a box set on iPlayer from the date the first episode was shown, allowing viewers to binge the entire series at their convenience.
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