The BBC has commissioned The Listeners, based on the best-selling novel by Jordan Tannahill.
Filmed across Greater Manchester, including Space Studios, the drama has been produced by Element Pictures (Normal People, Poor Things) and directed by Janicza Bravo (Zola, Poker Face).
The drama centres around Rebecca Hall (Christine, The Town, Vicky Christina Barcelona), an English teacher, who begins to hear a low humming sound that no one else around her can hear.
Slowly her life starts to unwind, as doctors find no obvious cause and she finds herself falling in with a disparate group of neighbours, who also say they can hear “the hum.”
“The Listeners is a captivating story that has been brought to life in this gripping adaptation which interweaves a feeling of the unknown with the need for human connectivity,” said Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Jordan, Janicza and Element Pictures and can’t wait for viewers to see this remarkable drama.”
Also starring in the series 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).
“When we first read Jordan’s book we were immediately captured by his extraordinary prose and ability to weave the complexities of themes of community, conspiracy, and faith through such beautifully rendered, achingly real characters,” added Ed Guiney, Executive Producer, Element Pictures.
“We are thrilled to have the brilliant Janicza Bravo directing, and to be working with the BBC again along with our partners at Fremantle on this truly special series.”
The series was written by Tannahill, who serves as executive producer alongside Bravo, 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). Global sales will be handled by Fremantle.
