The Listeners cast list: Who plays who in the BBC Rebecca Hall drama
By Helen Fear | Mon Nov 18 2024The Listeners on BBC One and iPlayer is without a doubt one of the best TV series to watch this week, with a fascinating, well-told story, and an excellent cast to match.
The four-part drama is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jordan Tannahill. It follows a woman's unsettling journey after she begins to hear a low hum that nobody else can.
Is she losing her mind? Can she even trust her senses anymore? The Listeners explores "the fine lines between faith, conspiracy, and mania".
The Listeners is brought to life by a brilliant cast, led by BAFTA-winning actress Rebecca Hall. Here's a full run-down in our cast list.
The Listeners TV series cast list: Who plays Claire Kutty?
London-born actress Rebecca Hall portrays teacher Claire Kutty in the cast of The Listeners on BBC One and iPlayer.
The 42-year-old is the daughter of the late director Peter and US opera singer Maria Ewing. After an early life as a child actress, Rebecca made her grown-up breakthrough in the 2006 Christopher Nolan film The Prestige, the same year she appeared in Starter for 10.
In 2008, she starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
After that, she made a name for herself in films, including Frost/Nixon, Dorian Gray, The Town, The Awakening, and Iron Man 3, in which she portrayed conflicted scientist Maya Hansen.
In 2016, Rebecca portrayed Mary in the charming film adaptation of Roald Dahl's BFG, and Christine in the story of Christine Chubbuck, a 1970s TV reporter struggling with depression and professional frustrations as she tries to advance her career.
In 2020, she appeared on TV in Tales from the Loop, where she played Loretta. Coincidentally, she appeared in the 2022 film The Listener. Not at all related to The Listeners on BBC One. Instead the film followed a helpline volunteer, part of a small army that gets on the phone every night, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely and broken.
More recently, she's played Ilene Andrews in 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a role she first played in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong.
Ollie West plays Kyle Francis
Irish actor Ollie West, 19, is a relative newcomer to our screens. However, he certainly makes his mark playing Kyle Francis in the cast of The Listeners.
Ollie's first ever - and only until now - TV role was playing Kevin in The Sparrow in 2022. He carried the film as a wild teen grappling with guilt over a deadly secret...
Gazettely.com called it a "soul-baring debut" from Ollie. Although his role in The Listeners is only his second as an actor, Ollie is also known as a musician and singer.
In 2021, at the age of 16, he self-made an entire album of alternative folk music while balancing his Transition Year studies at St. Conleth's College, Dublin. Yep, while most of us were binging Schitt's Creek and failing at making sourdough, Ollie made an album.
Ollie also portrayed the lead character in Hamnet, a two-man show about the death of Shakespeare's 11-year-old son. He was just 12 years old at its premiere at the Schaubuhne in Berlin. He travelled with the production across the UK, Holland and US. Ollie was nominated for Best Actor for the role at the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2018, and won Best Visiting Actor at Boston's IRNE Awards 2019.
The Listeners TV series cast list: Prasanna Puwanarajah stars as Paul Kutty
Suffolk-born actor Prasanna Puwanarajah, 42, stars as Claire's husband Paul Kutty in the cast of The Listeners.
Prasanna has been on our screens ever since 2006, when he appeared as Ishtiak in the US TV mini-series The Path to 9/11. After several years working as a jobbing actor, he won the role of Martin Bashir in the 2013 film Diana, which starred Naomi Watts as the Princess.
He also played Dr Malik in the TV legal drama Silk, Dr. Ramakrishna Chandramohan in medical series Critical, and Rajesh in You, Me and the Apocalypse.
Other notable roles include Sam Harvey in one episode of Cold Feet, James in Doctor Foster, Johnny in Patrick Melrose, and Ashley in Defending the Guilty.
In 2022, he starred as Dan Bala in the Netflix comedy series Ten Percent, before playing Martin Bashir again in The Crown in 2022. A year later, in 2023, Prasanna starred as DC Jibran Khan in ITV thriller Payback.
Mia Tharia portrays Ashley Kutty
Actress Mia Tharia, who is reportedly around 19 years of age, portrays Claire and Paul's daughter Ashley. Ashley begins to suspect her mother is having an affair having noticed her increasingly bizarre behaviour.
Like several of her co-stars, Mia is a relative newcomer to the small screen. In 2024, she played July in the film September. It followed a young girl called September who is suspended from their school, prompting her sister July to begin asserting her own independence.
Phoenix Rise stars will of course recognise Mia for portraying Polly in the young adult drama, a role she started playing in 2023.
The Listeners TV series cast list: Franc Ashman portrays Cassandra
Actress Franc Ashman portrays Claire's friend Cassandra in the cast of The Listeners on BBC One and iPlayer.
Franc is perhaps best known for playing Reutger in the TV series The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself.
She's been a jobbing actress ever since 1997, when she played a club singer in the gritty Ray Winstone film Nil By Mouth. After that, she didn't appear on our screens until 12 years later. In 2009, she popped up in Trial & Retribution, the TV movie Gunrush, Pauline Quirke drama Missing, and Law & Order: UK.
Other notable roles include Christine in Doctor Who, Therese in The Reckoning, Pamela in Birds of a Feather, Molly in Peep Show, and Sonia in The Windsors.
In 2020, Franc starred as Susy Henny in the brilliant Michaela Coel consent drama I May Destroy You. The next year, she played Elmina Blondeau in an episode of Death in Paradise, and Governor Cameron in the excellent prison drama Time. More recently, she portrayed DI Grover in the David Tennant drama Inside Man, and Ruby Ann in Halo.
Who else is in the cast of The Listeners on BBC?
Relative newcomer Akai Coleman plays Rory in the cast of The Listeners on BBC One and iPlayer. It's only his second small screen role. His first was playing Tiny in the 2024 Netflix series Supacell.
Young actress Romy Kelleher is Raina in her first ever TV role.
Lucy Chambers stars as Sophie. Her first TV role was playing Chloe Tuckman in the ITV thriller Viewpoint. Since then, she's played Lynda in Floodlights, and Monika in Silverpoint. She will play Poppy Richards in the upcoming series 5 of The Bay.
Niamh McCann portrays Kyle's mum Siobhan. She's best known for playing Grace Wilson in River City, and voicing Maura in the animated Little Roy. She'll play Nina Webster in the upcoming series 2 of The Teacher on Channel 5.
Delroy Brown is Aldo. He portrayed DC Lee Broadhurst in Scott & Bailey from 2011 to 2016.
Anne Hornby - aka Dr Morton in Emmerdale - stars as the audiologist.
Ramy star Amr Waked portrays Omar, the leader of The Hum group.
Men actress Gayle Rankin is Jo in The Hum group.
Peaky Blinders' Samuel Edward Cook stars as Damian.
Karen Henthorn - aka Teresa Bryant in Coronation Street - also appears.
Ping Pong's Lucy Sheen is Teresa.
Ian Mercer - aka Gary Mallett in Corrie - plays Tom, a member of the group.
Perfect star Shreya M Patel portrays Seema.
Kiruna Stamell - who recently played Kirsty Millar in Doctors - is Dr Broodthaers.
Holby City actress Christine Entwisle plays Valeria.
Mr Loverman's Hopi Grace stars as Tamsin.
Newcomer Scottee stars as Noam.
Emily Aston stars as Charlie. She played Rebecca Palmer in Corrie, and is the sister of soap star Sam, who plays Chesney in the ITV serial drama.
George Lewis portrays George.
Neil Bell stars as the man in therapy.
Read more: Our review of The Listeners and why it's the best thing on TV this week
