The Listeners: who plays who in the BBC conspiracy theory drama

What if you could perceive a dependable that cipher other could? Would it destruct your life?

That’s the premise of The Listeners, BBC One’s newest amusement – successful which Rebecca Hall’s Claire abruptly begins to perceive a mysterious hum. Trying to find answers, she is drawn down a rabbit spread of conspiracy theories and cult-like societies.

“It's fascinating due to the fact that it's astir an mean idiosyncratic surviving a mean beingness and thing seemingly tiny and rather insidious begins to hap to her and grows disproportionately,” said enforcement shaper Ed Guiney astir the show.

“There are tons of absorbing themes that play retired astir belief, faith, what's going connected successful the satellite and what the benignant of discourse for our lives is.”

The spooky conception is besides supported by a stellar cast: here’s who’s playing who.

Claire is the leader of the story: a erstwhile rebel who has settled, down, joined and had a child. She lives a fulfilled and blessed beingness arsenic an English teacher, until she begins to perceive a humming sound.

“It was precise absorbing to deliberation astir however radical dainty women's experiences oregon however radical perceive to a pistillate erstwhile she says she is going done thing hard and yet successful pain,” Hall said astir the show. “How it’s met with disbelief, minimised oregon shifted successful immoderate way, that's explored a batch successful The Listeners.”

Hall is simply a British-American actor. Born successful 1982, she’s the girl of American opera vocalist Maria Ewing and the British manager Peter Hall. After studying astatine Cambridge, she made her signifier debut successful her father’s 2002 accumulation of Mrs Warren’s Profession, going onto look successful films similar The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (for which she won a Golden Globe Nomination) and Iron Man 3.

Kyle is simply a young pupil who comes to Claire with a confession: helium tin besides perceive the humming noise. Together, they acceptable disconnected connected a travel to observe what precisely it is.

“There is an contiguous consciousness of transportation betwixt them,” Hall says. “For Claire determination is simply a consciousness of relief, parity that what she is going done is real. However, Kyle is 1 of her students, which raises a batch of complications.”

Paul is Claire’s husband. The brace got joined comparatively young, and their girl is astir to alert the nest. Paul works arsenic a builder and is horrified erstwhile their lives commencement to unravel.

“What was absorbing to maine astir this quality is however Paul goes done find of however acold distant 2 radical tin be, and however frightening, isolating, and unsafe that is to a relationship,” Puwanarajah said. “It’s benignant of similar a acold immersion.”

Puwanarajah himself was calved successful Suffolk successful 1981, to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Though helium spent his puerility acting – and joined the National Youth Theatre – helium initially trained arsenic a doctor. However, helium took a twelvemonth retired that yet became a afloat pivot towards acting. He has since starred successful The Crown (as Martin Bashir), Line of Duty and Doctor Foster.

Omar is 1 of the caller friends Claire makes portion trying to get to the bottommost of the hum. A erstwhile assemblage prof who taught geoscience, helium past acceptable up a radical that offers a much spiritual position connected Claire’s condition.

“They're a radical that discovered The Hum a agelong clip agone and it offers a antithetic perspective, arsenic opposed to suffering from it,” Waked says. “They privation to effort and observe however this tin instrumentality you to a higher spot spiritually - it’s a spot wherever you consciousness overmuch much than ecstasy, overmuch much than enjoyment. It sounds precise spiritual, similar salvation successful a way. And that's what the radical is. They’re trying to acquisition it and determination is simply a consciousness of addiction to it, it's similar a drug.”

Waked is an Egyptian actor. After starting his vocation connected Egyptian television, helium changeable to fame successful the 2005 movie Syriana, and has besides made appearances successful 2011’s Salmon Fishing successful the Yemen, Luc Besson’s 2014 movie Lucy and 2019 drama bid Ramy. In 2019, helium was sentenced to 8 years successful situation by an Egyptian subject tribunal for spreading mendacious news; arsenic a result, helium lives successful Spain.

Jo is Omar’s partner, who acceptable up the radical with him. “Jo is presented arsenic a stereotypical yogi – a wellness swan, hurtling precise accelerated nether the h2o and gliding crossed the top,” Rankin says. She’s rather a mysterious woman, and you bash person a batch of questions astir her erstwhile you archetypal conscionable her – the circumstances of her life, however she ended up here.”

Rankin, who plays her, grew up successful Scotland – and became Juillard’s first-ever Scottish pupil erstwhile she was offered a spot aged 17. She has since appeared successful Netflix bid GLOW arsenic Sheila, successful The Greatest Showman, and successful House of the Dragon’s 2nd play arsenic Alys Rivers.

Ashley is Claire and Paul’s daughter, who’s conscionable astir to permission the household location and spell disconnected to university. “I tin bash awkward, pensive – that comes rather people to me,” Tharia told ScreenDaily. “My quality is an implicit firecracker, precise distrusting and grappling for control. To play a quality that is truthful confrontational was exciting.”

Tharia is simply a rising prima successful the industry. Only 19, she grew up successful southbound London and spent her puerility astatine Brixton Youth Theatre and Burnt Orange Theatre Company. A penning residency astatine the Royal Court followed, which resulted successful her archetypal play. She has besides conscionable finished filming the Taika Waititi adaptation of Klara And The Sun with Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams successful New Zealand.

The Listeners volition beryllium streaming connected BBC One from November 19