The show’s greatest strength, however, is how believable it is (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Des Willie)
When I switched on BBC’s new drama The Listeners I was looking for a casual evening of easy-watching TV.
Instead, I was taken on a four–hour odyssey that completely blew me away.
Based on the 2021 Jordan Tannahill novel of the same name – which explores the fine lines between faith, conspiracy, and mania in contemporary America – The Listeners is a four-part drama that follows English teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) who wakes up one day hearing a constant low humming sound.
When new student Kyle (Ollie West), reveals he can hear the same noise, the two forge an unsettling and morally questionable bond over this shared experience.
What begins as a seemingly straightforward dilemma – tracking down the source of the hum – soon devolves into a story of obsession, cults and the human spirit to seek explanation in the impossible, no matter the cost.
It has razor sharp dialogue, gory visual sequences and plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers on the edge of their seat as we uncover the spooky mystery behind the hum.
The show’s greatest strength, however, is how believable it is. The Listeners fleshes out its characters with such care and understanding that you can’t help but understand their plight – no matter how absurd.
It’s reminiscent of real life moments of unexplainable mania in our history(Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Will Robson-Scott)
There is no caricaturish cult leader nor brainwashed follower because in real life that’s not how it works. We are all three-dimensional humans driven by a primitive need to survive and amass.
It’s reminiscent of real life moments of unexplainable mania in our history – like the ‘great clown panic of 2016’, or American agents complaining of ‘Havana Syndrome’ which presumes Cuban authorities are somehow scrambling their brainwaves.
And even the hum element is part of British history with English town inhabitants complaining of similar noises over the years – including Holmfield in Halifax, Immingham in North East Lincolnshire and Woodland in County Durham.
Of course there are more obvious forms of historical and modern cults, like the 1978 Jonestown massacre (which popularised the term ‘drinking the kool-aid’), the Manson Family, or even TikTokers trapped under a cult-like dance company.
So far none have been done as delicately as The Listeners (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Will Robson-Scott)
All of this has been exacerbated by the social media era of extremism where echo chambers, cultish ideology and rampant misinformation holds more power than ever – and popular media is trying to get to grips with this phenomenon.
Earlier this year, HBO aired a fumbling attempt to delve into the cult of personality with The Idol.
But there have been hits – like in 2017, when American Horror Story: Cult offered its own politically biting commentary on the pitfalls of blind faith.
Two years later Florence Pugh struck terror in our hearts in Midsommar, a cultish slasher set in a rural Swedish landscape.
Although all have their own merits, so far none have been done as delicately as The Listeners.
HBO aired a fumbling attempt to delve into the cult of personality with The Idol (Picture: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
When we hear about those who ‘drink the kool-aid’, it’s easy to dismiss these people as uneducated, weak-minded, another sheep in the flock. Many people declare they could never be so easily led astray.
But people who end up trapped in cults or confined groups are so easily dehumanised, either through layers of the news cycle or our dismissiveness of beliefs different to ours.
The Listeners refuses to allow this to happen.
Claire and Kyle’s humanity cannot be ignored, nor their logic scoffed at. As a viewer, I was forced to sit in the discomfort – at times, I understood their motives exactly, and could even imagine myself making the same choices.
Rebecca Hall’s spiral into oblivion is made so believable that I found myself rooting for her to stand her ground.
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And the plot’s escalation felt grounded in a truth that people tend to gravitate towards places they feel accepted. The more people’s experiences are discounted, the more they will seek less conventional places for solace.
Coupled with this is an unnerving sense of dread. As each layer becomes unpeeled, viewers discover just how easy it is for vulnerable people to get involved in something they never set out to find.
It is no longer one woman hearing a low buzzing noise. It is no longer an inappropriate student-teacher relationship. It is no longer an innocent support group. It is no longer a seemingly innocuous leader guiding soul-searching practices.
We watch before our eyes as free will and common sense, characteristics both our protagonists pride themselves on, become replaced by fear and paranoia.
And Rebecca Hall holds nothing back as she indulges in the haunting extremes of Claire’s behaviour as she seeks to relive, and then live with, this incessant noise.
The hum in isolation has no motivation or belief (Picture: BBC/Element Pictures/Des Willie)
What’s more, her fraught relationship with Kyle offers daring layers of nuance. Despite the clear understanding that this connection is wrong, Rebecca unflinchingly pulls you into her point of view and projects the guilt and shame back onto the audience.
Perhaps what makes this show shine best, beyond the gorgeous chemistry between the entire cast, is that it doesn’t shoehorn in a political instigator.
The hum in isolation has no motivation or belief – it’s humans that, usually through panic or anxiety, bring about disaster, whether it’s in search of a common truth or through their lack of open-mindedness.
Another aspect that feels beautifully woven into the storytelling is the use of modern day technology and discourse. The use of phones, contemporary slang and the Gen Z outlook on life can sometimes feel disingenuous or heavy handed in shows, as seen ITV’s Douglas is Cancelled and Netflix’s Ginny and George.
But The Listeners strikes an impressive balance with its truthful tone that immerses you in this family and tight-knit world as though it were your own neighbourhood rather than a place far removed from your own reality.
For example, the dynamic between Claire, her husband Paul (Prasanna Puwanarajah) and daughter Ashley (Mia Tharia) set up a delightful dynamic that emanates authenticity in their snippy arguments, genuine concern for one another and their slightly bland, run-of-the-mill family life.
Grounded by this, The Listeners becomes fertile ground to delve into the absurd and explore horror undertones and the terrifying depths of the human mind. Our most trusted asset can also be our greatest betrayer.
By the end of the four episodes, my heart was pounding as though I had run a marathon and I even found myself sitting in the quiet for a while, afraid of a non-existent hum and whether it would come and haunt me.
Not only was this taut thriller one of the best written shows of the year, but, in an incredibly divided society, I can’t help but think it is 2024’s most important watch, both for self-reflection and to reconsider just how much we judge others.
TV execs take note – this is how modern social commentary is done.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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