The Listeners

It's hard to put this show into words. It doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, part psychological drama, part sci-fi, part cult thriller, yet no real substance at all.

The acting has been criticised on other reviews, but I don't feel the acting is the problem. It's everything else. It's a real "meh" progrramme that is just disjointed, flat and bland. I really don't get what it was trying to do. There is potential in the concept which is interesting, they could have made a good sci-fi show, or an apocalyptic type show, or they could have just focused on the cult angle and made a good thriller there. Yet you don't feel like you get to the bottom of any of that.

Somehow I've made it through all four episodes just to try and see what in the world was actually going on, and it really was not worth bothering with. I would rather have spent the 3 hours waiting for a train.

Having read the synopsis for this before starting to watch it I thought this would be really interesting. The overall rating for this was around 5/10, so it had very mixed reviews.

The idea for the story is good. The story starts off quite well and had potential. Unfortunately it just got really weird and creepy.

This is ok to have on in the background but not to waste four hours of your life.

The story had too many plot holes and just got more irritating the more you watched.

Overall it's a poor storyline with poor script, dialogue and acting.

Such a shame because this story could have been so much better. A wasted opportunity.

This show is an extremely well observed, nuanced portrayal of someone who feels lost and is seeking a different way of life. Suffocated by her choices, Claire (played by the exceptionally talented Rebecca Hall) begins hearing a sound she can't escape while living a life defined by her role as a teacher and mother.

The 'hum' leads her down a dark path, away from those she loves to find connection elsewhere, amongst other lost people struggling to cope in mainstream society. All in all I found this a very poignant study that brings up questions around mental illness, reality, convention and the drive that makes someone abandon those they love.

I have a keen eye for drama. Usually in the first 15 minutes I can work out the quality. This one took me all of 5 minutes. Rebecca Hall is getting far too many duds to be now considered a reliable actress.

As soon as the woke-ness, over-acting and general typical suburbia came to the fore I knew there is only one way this is gonna go, and I wasn't wrong.

Unbelievably predictable the drama offers nothing. BBC has lost its way. Commissioning far too many of these humdrum, no-one will watch dramas which sink without trace.

Where is the grittiness, the pushing of the tension boundaries, the realism in delivery? All is absent. Nothing to see here. Move on.

While there's nothing particularly deep here, there are some strong and very measured performances. It did make me think about things as I was watching it and it certainly wasn't predictable. The conclusion was also reasonably satisfying.

Rebecca Hall was very believable as Claire. I also particularly liked the performance of Amr Waked as Omar.

Without giving any spoilers, I think it is possible to say this is "about" people who are suffering (hearing the "hum" that most cannot) and trying to find someone who can help them. It strikes me it is also "about" the way the brain can construct both helpful and unhelpful explanations.

Well worth a watch, so long as you're not looking for anything deep and meaningful. (I enjoyed this enough to binge watch it last night.)