When English teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) begins to hear a low humming noise, it begins a chain of events that splinters her family and drives her to seek out others with the same affliction. Here’s how to watch “The Listeners” from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.
"The Listeners" premieres on BBC One at 9 p.m. GMT on Tuesday, November 19. All four episodes are now available to stream now.
• FREE STREAM — BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
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Plagued by the noise that no one else can hear, with seemingly no medical reason for its occurrence, Claire suffers nosebleeds and migraines, gradually becoming increasingly isolated from those she loves. However, when she discovers that her student Kyle (Ollie West) can also hear the noise, they strike a surprising friendship. Searching for answers, the pair enter a group of others who can supposedly hear the noise, dubbed “The Hum.” But when it becomes clear that they see themselves as ‘chosen’ and have no interest in stopping the noise, Claire and Kyle must make a choice about whether to follow, or once again find themselves alone.
Adapted by Jordan Tannahill from his own novel, and artfully presented, with a hint of Bergman about it, “The Listeners” is a haunting show, diving into the rise of conspiracy culture and the search for belonging in an increasingly divided world.
Ready for a unique and provocative drama? Read on to find out how to watch "The Listeners” online and from anywhere around the world.
Watch "The Listeners" for free in the U.K.
Watch 'The Listeners' from abroad
Thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network), "The Listeners" should be available to Irish viewers no matter where they are. The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you find yourself. Our favorite is NordVPN – and you can find out why in our NordVPN review.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're away in the U.S., and want to view your usual Irish service, you'd select Ireland from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to BBC iPlayer and watch "The Listeners".
Watch 'The Listeners' around the world
Can I watch 'The Listeners' in the U.S., Canada or Australia?
The rest of the world is missing out. Currently there are no plans to make "The Listeners" available around the globe, but check back for information on international broadcasts as we get it.
This means that British viewers travelling overseas will need to use a VPN such as NordVPN, which will allow them to binge "The Listeners" at their leisure by choosing U.K. from the list and heading to BBC iPlayer.
All you need to know about 'The Listeners'
Below we have all the extra information you'll need on "The Listeners".
'The Listeners' trailer
'The Listeners' release date
"The Listeners" airs weekly in the U.K. with episodes going out every Tuesday at 9 p.m. GMT. It can also streamed in full on BBC iPlayer right now. International release dates are TBC.
'The Listeners' episode guide
Episode 1 | Airs Tuesday, November 19 | STREAM NOW
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.
Episode 2 | Airs Tuesday, November 26 | STREAM NOW
Claire and Kyle discover a group of other people who not only can hear the hum but want to embrace it. However, Kyle’s mother finds out about their meetings.
Episode 3 | Airs Tuesday, December 3 | STREAM NOW
Unable to experience the hum the way the others can, and increasingly guilty about her relationship with Kyle, Claire has a crisis.
Episode 4 | Airs Tuesday, December 10 | STREAM NOW
Claire finally loses herself in the hum as the outside world closes in on the group. One last group session ends in tragedy. .
Who is in the 'The Listeners' cast?
Rebecca Hall as Claire
Ollie West as Kyle
Prasanna Puwanarajah
Amr Waked
Gayle Rankin
Mia Tharia
Franc Ashman
Samuel Edward-Cook
Karen Henthorn
Lucy Sheen
Ian Mercer
What can viewers expect from 'The Listeners'?
The official synopsis from the BBC reads: ""The Listeners" centres around Claire (Rebecca Hall), a popular English teacher, who begins to hear 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 (Prasanna Puwanarajah), and daughter, Ashley (Mia Tharia). But despite multiple doctors, no obvious source or medical cause can be found. When she discovers that a student of hers, Kyle (Ollie West), can also hear the sound, the two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship. Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families, friends and colleagues, they fall in with a disparate group of neighbours, led by a charismatic couple, Jo (Gayle Rankin) and Omar (Amr Waked), who also claim they can hear what they call “The Hum” – but rather than track down the source to stop it, believe it is a gift, heard only by a “chosen few.”
Enigmatic, provocative, and haunting, "The Listeners" explores the seduction of the wild and unknowable, the human search for the transcendent, the rise of conspiracy culture in the West, and the desire for community and connection in our increasingly polarised times."
Is "The Listeners" based on a book?
"The Listeners" is based on Jordan Tannahill's novel of the same name and has been adapted for television by the author.
The novel made the Canadian national bestsellers list, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize with critics calling it "a masterful interrogation of the body, as well as the desperate violence that undergirds our lives in the era of social media, conspiracies, isolation and environmental degradation."
"The Listners" has also been performed as an opera which premiered at the Norwegian National Opera in 2022.
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