The Listeners cast: Full list of actors and characters in BBC drama

The journey leads them to a group who have been observing the sound for some time, devising multiple theories as to its origins – and some bold ideas on how it can positively affect one's life.

The high-concept and experimental drama earned a strong write-up in our The Listeners review, with praise going to Hall, West and co-stars Prasanna Puwanarajah, Amr Waked and Gayle Rankin.

Read on for our full guide to The Listeners cast, including all the key characters and stars.

The Listeners cast: Full list of actors and characters

See below for a full list of The Listeners cast and scroll on for more detail on the key players in the BBC drama – and where you might have seen the main actors before.

• Rebecca Hall as Claire
• Ollie West as Kyle
• Prasanna Puwanarajah plays Paul
• Amr Waked plays Omar
• Gayle Rankin plays Jo
• Mia Tharia plays Ashley
• Franc Ashman plays Cassandra
• Samuel Edward-Cook plays Damian
• Karen Henthorn plays Emily
• Lucy Sheen plays Teresa
• Ian Mercer plays Tom
• Scottee plays Noam
• Shreya M Patel plays Seema
• Kiruna Stamell plays Dr Broodthaers

Rebecca Hall plays Claire

Who is Claire? Claire is a woman with an apparently stable and happy life – a husband, a daughter and a job at a high school that she enjoys. But when she begins hearing a low frequency hum one day, it leaves her feeling deeply troubled. She becomes distracted, finds it difficult to sleep and is increasingly frustrated that her family cannot hear the sound too. When her student, Kyle, reveals that he too is affected by it, they begin delving deeper into what could be the source.

Hall told the BBC: "If a member of a family starts to experience something that everyone else in the family doesn’t, it becomes alienating and pernicious. Slowly The Hum becomes more and more dangerous and wreaks havoc."

What else has Rebecca Hall been in? Hall broke out in the cast of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, which led to more acclaimed work in the likes of Frost/Nixon, Red Riding: 1974 and Parade's End. The actor is also known for blockbusters Iron Man 3, Godzilla vs Kong and its sequel The New Empire, while she directed 2022 awards contender Passing.

Ollie West plays Kyle

Who is Kyle? Kyle is a student in Claire's class. Although he appears to not be engaging with her lessons, the reason for that is his distraction with the same hum that has thrown his teacher off-balance. Together, they go seeking answers as to what could be causing the noise – a journey that leads them to a support group led by New Age couple Omar and Jo.

West said: "A lot of people my age struggle with mental health issues and suffer from depression, and Kyle is one of them. He’s very smart and quick witted. He likes books and he’s very good in class, but he probably thinks school is a bit of a waste of time."

What else has Ollie West been in? West is relatively new to the screen, but did previously appear in independent film The Sparrow.

Prasanna Puwanarajah plays Paul

Who is Paul? Paul is Claire's husband, who she has been with for many years. Together, they have a teenage daughter named Ashley. At the start of the series, their relationship seems strong, but it will be placed under tremendous strain by the events to come.

Puwanarajah 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."

What else has Prasanna Puwanarajah been in? Puwanarajah recently co-starred in ITV crime drama Payback, which followed an earlier collaboration with producer Jed Mercurio on Line of Duty season 6. The actor and former junior doctor is also known for Patrick Melrose, Ten Percent and The Crown, where he portrayed journalist Martin Bashir.

Amr Waked plays Omar

Who is Omar? Omar is the leader of a support group for people who can hear The Hum. He claims to have been able to hear it for decades and, with his partner Jo, seems to have developed a profound connection to it. However, some of the people who pass through their group dislike its practices, comparing it to a cult.

Waked said: "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."

What else has Amr Waked been in? Waked is known for roles in acclaimed comedy-drama Ramy, Netflix period epic Marco Polo, and Sky original series Riviera. On the big screen, you may recognise him from Contagion, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Lucy, Wonder Woman 1984 or Firebrand.

Gayle Rankin plays Jo

Who is Jo? Jo is the co-leader of the group of listeners and the long-term partner of Omar. She appears sympathetic to the struggle of Claire and Kyle, taking her connection to the hum very seriously.

Rankin said: "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."

What else has Gayle Rankin been in? Recently, Rankin played Alys Rivers on HBO fantasy epic House of the Dragon. Previously, she was known for performances as Sheila the She-Wolf in Netflix's GLOW, Emily Dodson in Perry Mason and Queen Victoria in smash-hit musical film The Greatest Showman. Rankin previously worked with The Listeners director Janicza Bravo on sci-fi drama Kindred, which aired back in 2022.

Mia Tharia plays Ashley

Who is Ashley? Ashley is the teenage daughter of Claire and Paul, who is completing her A Levels and considering what she would like to do after finishing school.

Tharia said: "Ashley isn’t dependent in the sense that she needs her mum to be around all the time, but she needs that connection and the idea that there’s another group that her mum has a connection with is troubling."

What else has Mia Tharia been in? Tharia has previously appeared in BBC Three young adult drama Phoenix Rise. Coming up, she has a role in Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Franc Ashman plays Cassandra

Who is Cassandra? Cassandra is Claire's colleague and friend, who has been teaching alongside her for years.

What else has Franc Ashman been in? Ashman is known for past screen roles in The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Time, I May Destroy You and Peep Show.

Samuel Edward-Cook plays Damian

Who is Damian? Damian is a former soldier and member of the listening group.

Edward-Cook said: "He's been hearing The Hum for just over a year and he's been attending the group for a few months, so he's quite early on in terms of seeking help.

"It's obvious that, because he's been left to his own devices and searching for what this is and how it started, he's done a lot of his own work and entrenched himself in the deep, dark web. He's very much a part of websites such as Reddit and 4Chan where there's all these conspiracy theories flying around."

What else has Samuel Edward-Cook been in? He has previously appeared in The Gallows Pole, Silent Witness and Peaky Blinders, among other credits.

Karen Henthorn plays Emily

Who is Emily? Emily is another member of the group, who has started hearing the hum recently – along with her husband.

What else has Karen Henthorn been in? Soap fans may remember Henthorn for her three-year stint on Coronation Street, where she portrayed Teresa Bryant. Other credits include Passenger, Time, The Good Ship Murder and The Rising.

Lucy Sheen plays Teresa

Who is Teresa? Teresa is a relatively level-headed member of the listening group, who has been hearing the noise for several years.

What else has Lucy Sheen been in? Sheen voiced Michele Chan in recent Doctor Who audio drama The War Master, with earlier projects including Casualty, Silent Witness and Netflix's Shadow and Bone.

Ian Mercer plays Tom

Who is Tom? Tom is Emily's husband, who can also hear the hum, but isn't particularly convinced by Omar and Jo's methods.

What else has Ian Mercer been in? Another Coronation Street alum, Mercer played Gary Mallett on the ITV soap between 1995 and 2000. Since then, he has bagged roles in Red Riding: 1974 and 1983, Shameless, Scott & Bailey and All Creatures Great and Small. He provided the voice of 'Old Nick' in Netflix's acclaimed animated film The Sea Beast.

The Listeners is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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