The Listeners: what is the Hum – the mysterious phenomenon that inspired the major new BBC One show?

BBC One play The Listeners stars Rebecca Hall arsenic a teacher pushed to the brink of intelligence illness aft she starts proceeding a debased hum that nary 1 astir her seems to prime up.

It whitethorn beryllium adapted from a fictional caller by writer Jordan Tannahill, but amazingly is based connected reality: a fistful of radical astir the satellite person claimed they could perceive ‘the Hum’, a mysterious and changeless debased hum.

Apparently the Hum astir often happens astatine night, and those that tin perceive it study that it is louder indoors than erstwhile they spell outside. It’s astir often reported successful municipality areas. Descriptions vary, but the Hum is often likened to a rumbling oregon droning sound, similar an idling motortruck engine.

There are a scope of theories arsenic to the origins of this mysterious sound: from machinery to tinnitus, powerfulness lines to telephone masts... and adjacent amorous fish.

Yes, really. In 2013, residents of Hythe adjacent Southampton complained of a large humming sound that was keeping them awake. Scientists suggested it could beryllium antheral Midshipman fish, a nocturnal carnal that makes a debased frequence droning dependable to pass disconnected different males. Midshipman had antecedently been recovered to the culprit erstwhile houseboat residents in Sausalito Harbor, California, reported unusual noises coming done their hulls.

There is presently nary technological statement connected what causes the Hum – oregon adjacent if determination is simply a singular origin versus antithetic localised noises.

It has baffled scientists and been covered extensively successful the media – including this 2021 article written by Tannahill, who besides adapted the bid for the screen. In a bully small Easter egg, Hall’s quality Claire is adjacent seen scrolling the communicative connected The Guardian.

So wherever does fabrication extremity and information statesman with The Listeners?

People who tin perceive the Hum don’t telephone themselves Listeners, arsenic they bash successful the TV show, but immoderate bash self-identify arsenic “hummers” oregon “hearers”.

Those that tin perceive the Hum person reported nosebleeds, headaches and sleeplessness arsenic carnal symptoms of proceeding the hum (all covered successful The Listeners), arsenic good arsenic diarrhoea (not successful the BBC One show, thankfully).

While determination isn’t a existent cult that’s built astir the improvement (that we cognize of, astatine least), determination are respective conspiracy theories astir the Hum. Conspiracists judge it is caused by the subject investigating sonic weapons, mind-control devices or, of course, aliens.

Others blasted ELF (extremely debased frequency) vigor waves, which tin penetrate seawater to submarines astatine operating depths. However, lone a fewer countries person the exertion and they necessitate precise ample and evident masts.

The mentation astir lightning that Omar and Jo speech astir successful the 2nd occurrence of The Listeners has been floated. The thought is that immoderate of the 8 cardinal bolts of lightning that onslaught the Earth each time could origin vibrations, which mightiness by audible. Other earthy phenomena specified arsenic the pitchy watercourse oregon waves crashing connected the water level person besides been posited.

Skeptics judge that it’s conscionable radical unwilling to judge they person tinnitus, oregon immoderate benignant of wide delusion.

It’s possibly somewhat off-putting to superior scientists, though respective person tried to find tangible causes for the noise, oregon an mentation for the reports from radical who perceive it. Geoscientist David Deming wrote a insubstantial successful 2004 titled ‘The Hum: An Anomalous Sound Heard Around the World’, portion acoustic idiosyncratic Chris Barnes has been researching the taxable for years.

The astir salient Hum idiosyncratic is Dr Glen MacPherson, a Hum hearer who acceptable up the World Hum Map and Database Project to grounds instances of the hum. Dr MacPherson estimates that betwixt 2 and 4 per cent of the colonisation tin perceive the hum.

He divides Hum hearers into 2 types – those experiencing an as-yet-unexplained “type of otoacoustic improvement generated internally successful the encephalon and auditory organs”, and those with “exceptionally delicate hearing” who are picking up connected biology noises that astir radical can’t hear.

“This is not a spot for pseudoscience oregon conspiracy theories. There are nary discussions present regarding alleged ‘Targeted Individuals’ oregon microwave weapons,” helium says of his project. “There are galore different websites and forums for those funny successful specified things.”

The Hum lone started to beryllium heard astir the Seventies, starring scientists to judge it could beryllium related to technological developments. It was archetypal reported by residents successful Bristol, England, and was thought to beryllium rattling mill vents. But Bristolians began reporting a Hum again successful 2016 – agelong aft the factories closed.

It was reported successful Taos, New Mexico successful the Nineties, past successful Auckland, New Zealand successful 2006. No 1 root was ever found.

Some Hums bash person a real-life culprit, though. There was a Windsor Hum successful Ontario successful 2011, though that was pin-pointed to a alloy mill connected Zug Island. When the blast furnaces were decommissioned successful 2022, the Hum went silent.

The Listeners is not the archetypal clip that the Hum has appeared successful fashionable culture, either. In Drive, a 1998 occurrence of The X-Files, Agent Scully (played by Gillian Anderson) speculates that ELF vigor waves “may beryllium down the alleged Taos Hum”. Criminal Minds ran a storyline successful 2018 wherever the Hum causes radical to spell connected a convulsive rampage.

For Tannahill, it was the mystery and multitude of explanations that provided specified fertile grounds for fiction. “There are immoderate radical who judge it is simply a geoscientific phenomenon, which intrigues me. There's the thought that there’re aspects of the satellite of quality that we don't yet understand. There’re besides theories that suggest that we could beryllium surviving successful struggle with nature,” helium told the BBC.

“But going deeper than that, what intrigues maine astir the communicative is, bash we person a shared world successful society?”

The Listeners is disposable present connected BBC iPlayer