The series is based on the novel by Jordan Tannahill, who has also written the adaptation.
The Listeners centres around Claire, played by 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.
But when she discovers that a student of hers, Kyle, played by Ollie West, 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 The Hum – and who believe it could be a gift, heard only by a “chosen few.”
Described as enigmatic, provocative, and haunting, The Listeners 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.
Also starring in the series, which was filmed in Greater Manchester, are Prasanna Puwanarajah, Amr Waked, Gayle Rankin, Mia Tharia, Franc Ashman, Samuel Edward Cook, Karen Henthorn, Lucy Sheen and Ian Mercer.
Written by Jordan Tannahill, The Listeners, made by Element Pictures (a Fremantle company), has been directed by Janicza Bravo, with both serving as executive producers alongside Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann and Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures, Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC and Alice Birch. The series has been produced by Ed King.
Speaking about The Listeners, Ed Guiney, Executive Producer, Element Pictures said "When we first read Jordan’s book we were immediately captured by his extraordinary prose and ability to weave the complexities of themes of community, conspiracy, and faith through such beautifully rendered, achingly real characters. We are thrilled to have the brilliant Janicza Bravo directing, and to be working with the BBC again along with our partners at Fremantle on this truly special series."
To which the BBC's Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt, added "The Listeners is a captivating story that has been brought to life in this gripping adaptation which interweaves a feeling of the unknown with the need for human connectivity. I’m thrilled to be working with Jordan, Janicza and Element Pictures and can’t wait for viewers to see this remarkable drama."
The Listeners will air on BBC One