
Sound designer Steve Fanagan tells David Davies how the soundscape behind the recent BBC One series, The Listeners, was created
By Contributor
Published: January 10, 2025 Updated: January 13, 2025
Sound designer Steve Fanagan tells David Davies how the soundscape behind the recent BBC One series, The Listeners, was created
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Sound designer Steve Fanagan tells David Davies how the soundscape behind the recent BBC One series, The Listeners, was created
https://www.tvbeurope.com/audio/the-listeners-creating-the-soundworld-of-the-groundbreaking-drama title=Share via Email class=share-email>
There have been many instances of innovative TV sound design in recent years, but it's hard to imagine there will be another series where it's more fundamental to every facet of the story and production than is the case with The Listeners. Broadcast on BBC One at the end of last year and available on iPlayer until November 2025, the four-part drama combines field recordings, vivid audio processing, a haunting new score from Devont Hynes, and existing music from seminal artists including Nick Drake and Richard and Linda Thompson to frequently astonishing effect.
Adapted by Jordan Tannahill from his own acclaimed 2021 novel, but with the action transferred from the US to the UK, The Listeners begins with English teacher Claire - played by Rebecca Hall - becoming acutely aware of a continuous humming noise that is apparently only heard by a relatively small number of people. What follows is a brilliantly unusual and affecting drama from director Janicza Bravo that variously evokes classic psychological thrillers, folk-horror, and even 1970s public information films like The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water.
Steve Fanagan, sound designer, The Listeners, image courtesy BBC Sound designer for the series is Steve Fanagan, whose credits in this role - and/or as a supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer - include Normal People, Swan Song and An Cail n Ci in/The Quiet Girl. It was wonderful to get to work on something that is as subjective and crafted as The Listeners, he says. I think Janicza is an incredible, visionary director, and that's apparent in all of her work. She's a very detailed person so there's nothing that isn't thought about, and that idea of meticulousness has translated to the sound work, where I hope that the sound feels deliberate and all the choices are about pushing the story forward. It's not sound for sound's sake, but instead something that's built into the narrative and is justified by the story unfolding on the screen.
Finessing The Hum' Inevitably, determining the noise as it appears to Claire was a high priority for the sound design. Research into the real-world phenomenon known as The Hum played a part, but with reports of frequency ranges differing around the world, as well as theories about its causes, there was always going to be a significant creative aspect here. So the starting point was a conversation with Janicza about what sort of sound this might be, how the character might be experiencing it, and the ways in which it could be used not only to represent the idea of a sound Claire is hearing or experiencing but also how it might evolve and change depending on where she is on her journey in the story.
So as might be expected, the initial awareness of the sound feels huge - very distracting and grating, and affecting Claire's ability to concentrate. It begins to affect her home life so that had to be reflected in a certain way sonically, but as the series progresses and she finds out that one of her students, Kyle [played by Ollie West], can also hear it, you have the first point where she begins to feel some relief - and so the hum becomes something that's a little more harmonised.
Ollie West and Rebecca Hall in The Listeners. Image courtesy BBC As the story twists and turns, so does the hum and its position in the overall soundworld. For the actual filming, Fanagan provided a collection of sounds that could be used on set as a reference point to help [the relevant actors] become distracted in the moment . Then, during post, the form of the noise continued to mutate with different treatments and processing - reflecting a wider ethos of perpetual revision to the series as it neared finalisation.
We were always working across the four episodes in post, confirms Fanagan. So if there was something we discovered in episode four that we were enjoying and thought was working, we might figure out a version of it that could be planted as a little seed in an earlier episode. And that helped it evolved into this much bigger, kind of transcendental sound.
Built into the script But as the first few minutes of the opening episode indicate - when Richard and Linda Thompson's glorious I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight bursts onto the soundtrack, and Claire and her daughter begin to sing along with it - music is also integral to the sound of The Listeners. Along with other existing tracks by artists including Nick Drake and This Mortal Coil, there is an innovative original score by Devont Hynes, who has also recorded prolifically under the names Blood Orange and Lightspeed Champion.
With a lot of the existing music - such as the Nick Drake track [Fly] we hear as the original recording and then played by [Ollie West], who learned how to perform it for the series - it was very much built into the DNA of the writing and the shooting, which was really useful, says Fanagan.
Then, with the original score, Janicza and the producers were very keen for me to be involved in the conversations with Dev, so that if he was asking about things that we might be experimenting with from a sound design point of view I could let him know what we wer
More from TVB Europe
18/02/2025
Clear Angle Studios is leading a quiet revolution in the art of 4D scanning. CEO, Dominic Ridley, tells TVBEurope about the tech behind their remarkable progres...
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
13/02/2025
Bleuenn Le Goffic, VP business transformation at Accedo, explores the opportunities available to video services through emulating social media models
By Contri...
13/02/2025
The way content is consumed is changing, which means delivery infrastructures are being put under more and more pressure. BT's broadband engineering directo...
13/02/2025
Generate Video, which is powered by the Firefly Video Model, can create video clips of up to five seconds in length from a text prompt or image
By Jenny Priest...
13/02/2025
According to the company, the new structure will enable it to leverage its stren...
12/02/2025
The annual awards celebrate global visual effects artists across a wide range of...
12/02/2025
Charlie Johnson, VP international at Digital Envoy, tells TVBEurope how early experience in sales was the perfect grounding for a role in media and entertainmen...
11/02/2025
In its latest ebook, M2A Media explains how cloud solutions empower organisations to scale dynamically, automate complex processes simultaneously, and deliver s...
10/02/2025
Adam Downey, director of post production at Sky, tells TVBEurope how seeing a harmonious team working to deliver a project is like watching a ballet
By Matthew...
10/02/2025
The association aims to support the media technology industry by identifying vulnerabilities in media systems and solutions
By Jenny Priestley
Published: Feb...
10/02/2025
A Dusseldorf court ruling on a patent dispute warned the company could face heavy fines
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 10, 2025
A Dusseldorf cour...
07/02/2025
Participants now have an extra week in which to submit their synopses for the programme
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 7, 2025 Updated: February 1...
07/02/2025
The HETV figures represent almost two thirds of the overall UK production spend
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 7, 2025
The HETV figures represent...
06/02/2025
DataCore CEO Dave Zabrowski tells TVBEurope the deal will add the missing link ...
06/02/2025
The TVBEurope category recognises broadcast-grade technology products on show in Barcelona
By TVBEurope Staff
Published: February 6, 2025 Updated: February...
05/02/2025
Speaking exclusively to TVBEurope, four of its experts weigh in on the IBCs role in fostering innovation, the technological shifts on the horizon, and why sport...
05/02/2025
Vincent Noyer, director of product marketing at LYNX Technik, tells TVBEurope how remaining engaged and proactive leads to opportunities for growth
By Matthew ...
04/02/2025
Explaining the process to TVBEurope, Del Bravo said the films look was inspired by the Technicolor three-strip' process, evoking the rich colours of early ...
03/02/2025
The company said it deserves fair compensation for its innovation, with the long-term success of the streaming industry for consumers and creators dependent on ...
03/02/2025
Ciaran Doran, chair of ISE 2025's AV Broadcast Summit, is looking forward to checking out traditional TV broadcast vendors' tailored products and servic...
03/02/2025
The report included an ad tier estimate for Netflix, Disney and Amazon
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 3, 2025 Updated: February 10, 2025
The r...
31/01/2025
The URSA Cine 12K LF Body excludes shoulder mounts, handles, some lens mounts, battery plates, power supply, lenses and the high capacity 8TB media module
By J...
31/01/2025
EDEN aims to provide continuous power when operating in remote locations, and can be recharged using solar power
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 31, 2...
30/01/2025
The department will be overseen by Hotcams head of engineering, Hugo Santos
By Jenny Priestley
Published: January 30, 2025
The department will be overseen...
30/01/2025
The solution provides users with remote low latency colour grading as part of Baselight 6.0
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 30, 2025
The solution p...
30/01/2025
Proposed expansion plans include new film stages and a data centre
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 30, 2025
Proposed expansion plans include new fi...
30/01/2025
According to reports, MFE has submitted a non-binding bid to acquire news channels TVN24 and TVN24BiS
By Jenny Priestley
Published: January 30, 2025 Update...
29/01/2025
A suite of five licences can be purchased, upgrading the camera to meet specific requirements as needed
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 29, 2025
A ...
29/01/2025
A range of options is reportedly under consideration ahead of the current Royal Charter periods ending in 2027
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 29, 202...
28/01/2025
As well as the 14 honours, the Academy is awarding an Oscar statuette to recognise all the individuals who have developed and supported captioning technology, ...
28/01/2025
PRP has reportedly claimed the board is obligated to consider its revised offer, although the move has been described by one commentator as silliness
By Matthe...
27/01/2025
Cinelab Film & Digital restored the 16mm film, which is believed to have been captured by a film camera recording the film from a TV screen
By Jenny Priestley ...
27/01/2025
TVBEurope catches up with Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events, to hear about how this year's ISE Show will incorporate broadcast tec...
27/01/2025
Investment group PRP is reportedly attempting to table a last-minute offer, claiming its previous proposal was not presented to shareholders by the Paramount bo...
24/01/2025
Yeung took on the role on January 1st, and will continue to serve throughout this year
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 24, 2025
Yeung took on the r...
24/01/2025
According to reports, the streamers executives want to develop the company into a $200 billion media group, that would offer subscribers the equivalent of a Spo...
23/01/2025
Using media intelligence (currently in beta), editors can search for the type of clip needed, and it will automatically recognise objects, locations, camera ang...
23/01/2025
The upgrade will include additional recording modes, added support for SDI output, proxy recording and more
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: January 23, 2025 ...
23/01/2025
Set to open next January, the facility will feature a 236 square metre sound stage, virtual production technology and a series of labs featuring spatial audio, ...
22/01/2025
Featuring IP connectivity, the cameras aim to provide an end-to-end solution for on-location filming, production and distribution
By Matthew Corrigan
Publish...
22/01/2025
ISE 2025: Technology Convergence is now free to access ahead of ISE 2025, and is jam-packed with features, interviews and product news
By Jenny Priestley
Pub...
21/01/2025
Media and entertainment business leaders across the UK have cautiously welcomed the announcement, while calling for continuing support
By Matthew Corrigan
Pu...
20/01/2025
To qualify, cameras must meet capture requirements including dynamic range, codec, resolution and workflow compatibility
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: Janua...
20/01/2025
Companies now have until January 24th to submit products for the annual awards
By TVBEurope Staff
Published: January 20, 2025 Updated: January 21, 2025
...