New BBC drama The Listeners sees Rebecca Hall and Ollie West struggle to understand a new low-humming noise.
Based on the novel by Jordan Tannahill, English teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) and a student (Ollie West) start to hear a low-humming noise that seems inaudible to everyone else.
In her quest to find others who can also hear the hum, she distances herself from her loved ones and encounters a suspicious group who assert they too can hear the mysterious noise.
The describes The Listeners as a series that “explores the seduction of the wild and unknowable, the human search for the transcendent, the rise of conspiracy culture in the West, and the desire for community and connection in our increasingly polarised times.”
The series starts on One at 9pm on Tuesday (November 19), with the entire series available to stream on iPlayer. The Listeners features a number of well-known faces.
Who is in the cast of new BBC series The Listeners?
Teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) is left unsettled by a new humming sound in The Listeners (Image: BBC)
Rebecca Hall plays Claire
Claire is an English teacher who has a stable life with her husband and daughter – but she feels distracted and unsettled when she suddenly hears a low-frequency hum. She grows frustrated about the cause of the humming sound and why no one else can hear the mysterious noise.
Speaking about her character, Hall said: “Claire is under the belief for a long time that she is the only person who can hear The Hum.
“She goes through all the medical tests to find out if there’s something wrong with her physically or mentally and ascertains that there isn’t. Leaving her in nowhere land and she starts to believe that she is going crazy.
“So, when she comes across Kyle who is having the same experience there is an immediate sense of connection between them.
“For Claire there is a sense of relief, parity that what she is going through is real. However, Kyle is one of her students, which raises a lot of complications.”
Rebecca Hall is a prolific actress who has previously appeared in Christopher Nolan flick The Prestige, Frost/Nixon, Iron Man 3 and Godzilla vs Kong.
Hall has also appeared in TV series including Red Riding: 1974, Parade’s End and Tales from the Loop.
Ollie West plays Kyle
Kyle is a student in Claire’s class who grows distracted by the same noise that his teacher can hear. They form an unlikely friendship and try and investigate the noise -which leads them to a New Age couple called Omar and Jo.
The Listeners is Ollie West’s first big role after previously starring in independent film The Sparrow.
Prasanna Puwanarajah with Rebecca Hall in new BBC drama The Listeners (Image: BBC)
Prasanna Puwanarajah plays Paul
Paul is Claire’s husband, and they have a daughter together. The pair have a strong relationship, but as Claire tries to understand the low humming sound, their relationship becomes strained.
Speaking about his character, Prasanna said: “What was interesting to me about this character is how Paul goes through discovery of how far away two people can be, and how frightening, isolating, and dangerous that is to a relationship, which is quite a lot to go through in about forty to fifty days, twenty years into a relationship.
“It’s kind of like a cold immersion.”
The British actor first trained in medicine before he switched to full-time acting. He has since appeared in Line Of Duty, Ten Percent, Martin Bashir in The Crown and film Diana as well as Silk, Doctor Foster and Payback.
Gayle Rankin plays Jo
Jo is the partner of Omar and the co-leader of the group. The co-leader wants to help Kyle and Claire with the hum.
Speaking about her character, Gayle shared: “Jo is someone who Claire encounters after she starts to hear The Hum and is introduced to a group of people who are also experiencing this hum.
“Jo is the partner of Omar who is the ‘leader’ of the group. Jo is presented as a stereotypical yogi – a wellness swan, hurtling very fast under the water and gliding across the top.
“She’s quite a mysterious woman, and you do have a lot of questions about her when you first meet her – the circumstances of her life, how she ended up here, where she’s come from, and how her relationship with Claire is going to play out.”
Viewers may recognise Gayle from House of the Dragon as Alys Rivers, series GLOW, Emily Dodson in Perry Mason, The Greatest Showman and The Climb.
Amr Waked plays Omar
Omar is the leader of a New Age support group for people who can hear The Hum. He claims he can also hear the mysterious noise, but it becomes clear the group is in fact a cult.
When asked about his character, Amr said: “Omar was a university professor where he taught geoscience – focusing on climate and weather.
“He’s not a classical type of a person, he’s the alternative guy. Some people will call him a pseudoscientist, maybe with prejudices against his ideas.
“I find him to be a lovely man who also refuses the world as it is.”
The Egyptian film and stage actor has previously appeared in Lucy, Geostorm, Wonder Woman 1984 and TV shows Marco Polo and Ramy.
What is the full cast of The Listeners?
Jo (GAYLE RANKIN);Claire (REBECCA HALL);Omar (AMR WAKED);Kyle (OLLIE WEST) in The Listeners (Image: BBC)
The full cast of The Listeners is as follows:
- Rebecca Hall as Claire
- Ollie West as Kyle
- Prasanna Puwanarajah as Paul
- Amr Waked as Omar
- Gayle Rankin as Jo
- Mia Tharia as Ashley
- Franc Ashman as Cassandra
- Samuel Edward-Cook as Damian
- Karen Henthorn as Emily
- Lucy Sheen as Teresa
- Ian Mercer as Tom
- Scottee as Noam
- Shreya M Patel as Seema
- Kiruna Stamell as Dr Broodthaers