The Listeners review: Surreal drama is not as far-fetched as you think
Rebecca Hall gives a phenomenal performance in the BBC's allegorical drama.
The Listeners has more than one scene in which a fanatical group of people wail and groan in ecstasy as they bathe in a low-frequency hum that only they can hear. During these moments, you might be left thinking: 'What the hell am I watching?'
It would be fair to say that the new four-part drama is both experimental and surreal, more so than much of what makes it to a primetime slot on BBC One, but it's not something that should be dismissed as pretentious or inscrutable.
Rather, it's a story that is urgently relevant to our current moment, as an increasing number of people turn their backs on friends, family and society at large in search of a heady fix of something altogether more enthralling.
Of course, there are numerous ways of interpreting the events of The Listeners, but as someone who has lost family members to the sinister rabbit hole of conspiracy culture, I couldn't help but hold this in my mind while viewing.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Rebecca Hall leads the cast as high school teacher Claire Kutty, who wakes up one day to an unfamiliar sound: a low-pitched, droning hum that those around her seem utterly oblivious to.
That is, everyone except her student, Kyle (Ollie West), who also finds himself increasingly distracted by the noise, which steers him away from his school work and towards an enigmatic support group of sorts for all those affected.
Claire and Kyle become loyal patrons of this club, led by New Age couple Omar (Amr Waked) and Jo (Gayle Rankin), which encourages its members to regard the hum as a gift rather than a burden – to the point of denying entry to non-listeners.
As the group's connection and beliefs solidify, they become ever more distant from those they once held dear as those relationships are supplanted by a warped sense of community.
Although it might sound far-fetched to some viewers, The Listeners is really no fantasy – just ask anyone who has seen people they care about consumed by the internet's dark corners.
The hum could be interpreted as the profound disquiet so many of us feel about the state of our world, which is plagued by climate catastrophes, rising poverty and decaying public services – while a privileged few find themselves better off than ever before.
Far from addressing the genuine causes for these interconnected crises, conspiracy fictions send large swathes of the population onto bizarre tangential paths or outright denialism that inevitably lead to isolation and delusion. (Conveniently, this also eliminates any threat to real power.)
The Listeners sees this scenario play out in a microcosm, as Claire and Kyle – both dealing with ennui, confusion and fear – choose to delve deeper into the theories of Omar, Jo and their eclectic group, rather than pull at the root of their despair.
Well, that's one reading of it anyway. Director Janicza Bravo and screenwriter Jordan Tannahill (who also penned the book this series is based on) don't spell things out for you by any means. Ambiguity is the order of the day.
Personally, I feel so strongly about the scourge of conspiracy culture that there were times I wished they had it more squarely in their sights, but there's certainly a lot of value in this murkier approach to the material.
It lends the series an unpredictability that may have been lost if this were a cut-and-dried brainwashing tale, with Bravo crafting several sequences that are mesmerisingly perplexing.
Fittingly for a show of this title, these moments utilise the sound design to great effect, with layers upon layers of music, noise and dialogue sending us into a realm of disorientation that powerfully reflects the experience of its characters.
Hall and West are fantastic in the lead roles, constructing a strange and intense bond between Claire and Kyle that is difficult to define with much confidence, but engrossing to watch unfold.
Rankin and Waked give similarly fascinating turns as the couple who take them under their wing, keeping us guessing throughout as to whether they're meditative hippies or master manipulators.
Praise must also go to Prasanna Puwanarajah and Mia Tharia – who play Claire's husband, Paul, and daughter, Ashley – for their compelling portrayal of the havoc and anguish that flights of conspiratorial fancy can unleash on a family unit.
At a mere four episodes long, The Listeners is a fast-moving and punchy look at the myriad factors that can draw well-adjusted people to radicalisation; humanising the victims of conspiracy culture – but crucially, not downplaying the damage it has wrought.
The Listeners premieres on Tuesday 19th November on BBC iPlayer (at 6am) and BBC One (at 9pm).
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
