The Listeners BBC1 9pm tonight 19 November 2024

[IwantToRetire]

On an ordinary day, Claire Kutty, a secondary school English teacher in her early forties, hears a low, rumbling sound while driving her daughter Ashley to their school.

This innocuous noise starts to cause Claire migraines, nosebleeds, insomnia and even visions. No obvious source or medical cause can be found – and no-one else can hear it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00255ff

4 episodes of 45 minutes - not sure if they will all be on line.

But what was the concept?!

I binged the whole thing on iPlayer the night it was first on the tv. I think it was mainly because it greatly reminded me of myself trying to track down a mystery noise that was stopping me from sleeping but nobody else could hear. After many middle of the night wanderings while “listening”, including thinking it was possibly coming from the local power station, it turned out just to be the transformer on the garage door opening mechanism, which probably needed replacing. As the letting agent claimed he couldn’t hear it either, I turned off power to the electrics for the mechanism and could finally sleep without earplug (yay)!

IF I hadn’t had this experience, I wouldn’t have had the slightest interest in “The Listeners”. It was desperately slow and the MC made terrible choices…but I suppose what I took from it was how there was a rush to judgment by all of the unaffected people in attributing the hum to mental health issues, thereby causing/exacerbating mental health issues and leaving those affected extremely vulnerable to charlatans. 4 episodes felt very drawn out.

@IwantToRetire it was about what happens when those nearest to you don't listen to your experiences and you are vulnerable to more radical voices, I think. I think 'listeners' had a deeper meaning. It could have been really good...but wasn't 😉

Women hear higher pitched frequencies than men. Don't get me started about my next door neighbours windchime 😂🙉

Watched the first episode

Not read all the thread cos guess some people have watched ahead

It's a very weird premise (and I mean in the fact that she's saying it isn't tinnitus so there just be some other explanation)

Agree that it was unsettling. But actually I think what made it unsettling is the noise that came into my ears throughout the programme! Watching it through Bluetooth so it came right into my ears and I don't think this was a programme to do that with 😂

Those who mentioned a radio play, I don't know if The Listeners was ever a radio drama, but this is the one on a similar subject that I recall. It's not available right now but the details might be familiar: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kh2cj

I mentioned a radio play, but it became clear from the start of episode 1 that the Listener wasn't based on that.

The radio play was a political thriller type thing. Quite convincing!

The Listeners is actually based on a book, and even just looking at a short headline about explains more about the tv series, than the tv series managed to do.

I wont quote as a spoiler for thos who are just starting to watch.

I found it listed on amazon.

Just watched the last episode. I am now in equal parts baffled, bored and annoyed.
So little action that I've been reading an Elly Griffiths murder mystery while waiting for something to happen.
Why the schoolboy thing? No need. Why all the hints at theories and explanations with no follow-up? All the characters popping up with a 30 second back story, then popping down again like targets in a shooting gallery. Then Utterly Ludicrous climax. Then anticlimax, then the longest wait for closing credits in the history of long waits.
That was as bad as that bloody awful train-as-a-weapon crap that the BBC inflicted on us but at least that was so bad it was funny.

So I have watched 2 episodes so far. My current theory is that when MC gets shot of her annoying & controlling H & likewise when Kyle flees from his awful mum, their noise will disappear.
see if I am right.

Oh right
That's not what I'm getting from it (I've only seen 2 episodes like you)

Claire was not a sympathetic character, she was so self involved and I didn’t like the creepy sexualised relationship with Kyle - imagine if that was an older male teacher and 17 year old girl.

The moaning and shaking group orgasm in the garden was so cringe, I felt embarrassed for the actors having to do that.

It’s probably meant to be deep and arty but that’s four hours I won’t get back,

In

More hours of my life that I'm not getting back!

Absolutely no idea what the message/meaning was.

Horrendous and disturbing and 4 hours I’ll never get back. What I don't get is why the fuck did the police shoot everyone, especially Kyle?! It was absurd.

Really glad I only watched 20 mins of first episode after reading posts. I could tell it was going to be awful.

Absurd is a good description.

Well it was certainly different

I binge-watched them when I was ill. Had a lot of promise but just disappointing in the end imho