First-Look: Rebecca Hall Is Teacher Tormented By Humming Noise In The BBC & Element Pictures’ ‘The Listeners’

Max Goldbart
·2 min read
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Vicky Cristina Barcelona star Rebecca Hall was one of the buzziest names to feature on the BBC’s recent 12-strong drama slate and the BAFTA winner can now be seen in first look images playing a teacher in Element Pictures’ The Listeners.

Adapted by the novel’s author Jordan Tannahill, Hall’s character Claire is tormented by 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.

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Scroll down for more pics, including another of Hall and one of Ollie West (Hamnet), who plays student Kyle and can also hear the sound.

Also starring in the series, which was filmed in Greater Manchester, are Prasanna Puwanarajah (The Crown, Ten Percent, Patrick Melrose), Amr Waked (Ramy), Gayle Rankin (Men, Perry Mason, The Greatest Showman), Mia Tharia (Phoenix Rise), Franc Ashman (The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself, Inside Man), Samuel Edward Cook (Peaky Blinders, The Gallows Pole), Karen Henthorn (Coronation Street, The Rising), Lucy Sheen (Ping Pong) and Ian Mercer (Doctors, All Creatures Great And Small).

Deadline revealed the show’s development last March and Poor Things producer Element is making it with Janicza Bravo – whose past credits include Zola, Mrs America and Them – directing. Hall is also starring in James L. Brooks’ next movie Ella McCay and Tessa Thompson’s similarly-named helpline drama The Listener. Fremantle is distributing The Listeners.

Rebecca Dundon, SVP Scripted Content, International at Fremantle said: “The Listeners is a thriller like no other that will surprise, provoke and challenge the status quo.”

Ollie West as Kyle and Rebecca Hall as Claire. Image: Element Pictures/Fremantle/BBC/Des Willie
Ollie West as Kyle and Rebecca Hall as Claire. Image: Element Pictures/Fremantle/BBC/Des Willie
Rebecca Hall as Claire. Image: Element Pictures/Fremantle/BBC/Will Robson-Scott
Rebecca Hall as Claire. Image: Element Pictures/Fremantle/BBC/Will Robson-Scott

Tannahill and Bravo are EP-ing alongside Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann and Rachel Dargavel for Element Pictures, Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC, and Alice Birch. The series is produced by BAFTA-nominated Ed King (His House, Suspect, Howl). Fremantle is handling global sales.

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