Original subtitles

This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting

I couldn't imagine how my life could unravel so completely.

LOW HUM

ECHOES: Are you hearing that?

It was so small and innocuous.

Such a barely perceptible sound.

I'm just hearing this... No, I'm just, erm...

I'm just, erm...

LOW HUM

Or maybe I could imagine it.

Maybe that was the problem.

- What are you doing? How long have you been up? - Didn't sleep.

What?

No. Exhaustion.

Anxiety.

- Oh. - Yeah.

Tragic. Tragic.

# I'm so tired of working every day

# Now the weekend's come

# I'm going to throw my troubles away... #

HUMS ALONG WITH SONG

# If you've got the cab fare, Mr, you'll do all right... #

WITH SONG: # Meet me at the station

# Don't be late

# I need to spend some money and it just won't wait

# No

# Oh, take me to the dance and hold me tight... #

# Dream till Monday comes in sight

# I want to see the bright lights tonight. #

LOW HUM

What?

Oh, I just...slept badly.

BELL RINGS

Good morning, everyone.

Or should I say, "Buenos dias"?

"Love is a disease.

"Love is a disease,"

so says Jose Arcadio.

Not me.

Erm, anyone?

What do we think? What do we think

that Marquez is trying to explore here?

"Love is a disease." Mr Francis? SIGHS

Yoohoo, Mr Francis. Please. Thank you.

Erm, "Love is a disease."

Erm, well, uh, there's the obvious reading.

It's about incest and the fear of it,

and the physical deformities

that are a product of it.

Like, that's literally love manifesting as a disease.

Uh, it's what the fear does to the family -

it isolates them.

It's rotten, like a disease.

Nice. OK, good.

I mean, some spoilers there, but lots to unpack.

So let's, erm...

Erm, God.

Are you all right, Miss?

Yeah! Just a...nosebleed.

OK, let's, erm...erm...

..pick it up at 229.

Raina, you want to read for us?

"Both described at the same time how it was always March there

"and always Monday, and then..."

Oh, my God, you are SO driven.

What, how? How exactly am I driven, Cass?

I mean, I think I used to be...way, you know...

- What are you talking about? - I was definitely very driven.

I mean, if you'd said to me that I was going to be a teacher

and a mum, I'd have said,

"Sure, yeah, but what else?"

Ouch.

No, come on, I'm sorry.

I just mean, I was going to change the fucking world, man.

Yeah.

THEY CHUCKLE

No, you should do a book of, erm,

- what do you call them? Phrases. - Aphorisms.

Yeah, like a book of aphorisms.

So do you write the sermons?

- Oh, they don't let him anywhere near the pulpit. - Well, they should.

I mean, if you did it, I'd come every Sunday.

There's a new guy who does it.

You SHOULD come. He's very good,

very charismatic, very funny.

Yeah, look, I love you guys,

- but I think I had my fill of church as a kid. - Oh, come on, babe.

The new vicar - could be dreamy.

When I was 16 and realised that God...

was like every other guy at my school -

only interested in me if I was down on my knees.

LAUGHTER

Yeah.

THEY CHUCKLE

Yeah, my mum was very religious.

Yeah. Very traditional.

Yeah. I couldn't stand it growing up.

I just ran in the opposite direction.

Yeah, to me - the heathen.

LIQUID POURS

CHATTER CONTINUES

LOW HUM

Yeah. Hiding stuff.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- We're switching to white. - Mm.

- Yeah? - Yeah, yeah.

LOW HUM

Can you hear that? That buzzing?

- No. - Really?

Huh.

Too much wine.

HUMMING INCREASES

Something on downstairs?

Yeah. Maybe.

All right, I'll check.

Oh, my God.

God, that's, like, my worst nightmare.

Like a normal operating level.

CHATTER CONTINUES

HUMMING CONTINUES

Ashley?

Ash?

Can you check - did someone leave the bathroom fan on up there?

PHONE BUZZES

No.

Well, what's that noise, then?

What noise?

That, right there.

SILENCE

No.

HUMMING RESUMES

I want you to put down your script.

We can't hear you.

- MUFFLED: - We're standing right there, and it's just getting swallowed.

You know these lyrics - I know you do.

CHUCKLES SOFTLY

- MUFFLED: - Let's take it from the top.

And, sweetheart, you need to project, OK?

- MUFFLED: - Was it that bad?

- NORMAL: - Was it that bad?

Oh, sorry. No, no, no, no, I wasn't... Erm...

I'm just, uh...I'm just hearing this, uh, low, deep noise somewhere

in the background.

Can anyone else?

- No. - No.

- You all right? - Yeah.

Never mind. Erm, just nothing.

Let's, uh, let's keep going.

OK. Let's take it from the top. OK?

# I just want to tell you I've got scabs on my head

# It's useless to live... #

LOW HUM

They're constantly slapping these things up.

And then ten, 15 years later, it's like,

"Oh, that thing that we said doesn't cause cancer or migraines,

"oh, actually, it turns out it might after all."

What, you're saying 5G is causing your noise?

No...of course not.

I'm... I'm just looking for things that have changed in the last week

and there's that new mast there.

- So I thought maybe... - I still think you should get a check for tinnitus.

Babe, it's not.

Look.

- There's a perfect seal. - Yeah? - And the sound is basically gone, right?

Right.

And now it's back.

So...

So it's happening out in the world.

It's not happening inside my head.

- OK, so if it is the 5G... - Yeah? - ..then...

..there we go.

This is going to...

Very clever.

- Are we done? - There you go. Yeah. - You know,

of all the people that live in this house,

you are definitely the New Age wanker among us.

OK, gloves are off.

Yeah, and that magnetic bracelet...

Don't come for the magnetic bracelet, OK?

- It's for my calibration. - Oh, I'm so sorry.

Look, I'm just kidding, but I just think you should

get...tested, is what I'm saying.

Just to...

Just to rule it out.

- Well, of... Yeah, sure. Of course, you're right. - You know? - I know.

Of course you're right.

LOW HUM

Hello, you've reached Cobb's Bridge Clinic.

One of our team will be with you shortly.

Please hold.

Hello, you've reached Cobb's Bridge Clinic.

One of our team will be with you shortly. Please hold.

INDISTINCT

Hello, you've reached Cobb's Bridge Clinic.

CACOPHONY OF SOUND

Hello, You've reached Cobb's Bridge Clinic.

A member of the team will be with you shortly. Please hold.

HUMMING CONTINUES

HUMMING STOPS

Found these in the garage.

- MUFFLED: - There you go.

- MUFFLED: - Do they work?

- Well, I can barely hear what you're saying. - Great. There you go. - Mm.

Good. So wear these for the rest of my life - problem solved.

No, just...till we get this thing fixed.

GROANS

What?

I just...

Did you say that they were working nights on your construction site?

Yeah.

Well...

I mean, not from this distance,

and they were pouring foundations -

that's not causing your noise.

- Well, how do you know? - I mean,

how you describe what you're hearing - that's not it.

- It's nothing like that. - Yeah, OK.

You're probably right, but I just...

I don't know, I'm just trying to rule things out

and I thought maybe

- it was big trucks and... - Oh, big trucks. - Yeah.

Mm.

- I mean, that's what you do, isn't it - big trucks? - Yeah, big trucks.

Something lurks over the west coast.

Something that sings at night

and produces a sound so low

that only two out of ten people can hear it. A sound...

..that has come to haunt me.

There's a hum that an estimated 2%...

Very, very low, bassy rumbling.

Regardless of where they live, they call it...

Scientists have managed to guess the origins of certain sounds.

- From our research on low-frequency sounds... - There are sounds

- that still remain a complete mystery. - It was heard

nearly 2,000 miles away in Perth.

Lots of animals can hear and make infrasonic sounds...

What we're going through today is tinnitus.

It's the perception of sound that does not

have an external source.

It can sound like a ringing or a humming in the brain.

What's really interesting about infrasound

is that it does seem to...

OVERLAPPING VOICES

It can sound like a ringing or a throbbing in the brain.

My opinion is that it's caused by an industrial source of some kind...

Lots of animals can hear and make infrasonic sounds.

Many land animals -

rhinos, elephants, pigeons.

They allow sound waves to travel...

Fascinating. Trees have a sound.

They rumble and they pop.

OVERLAPPING VOICES

..our ears respond to these around 20Hz.

OVERLAPPING VOICES

Begin test.

Imagine you are at a party.

Repeat each sentence the woman says.

I hope the house wasn't too hard to find.

I hope the house wasn't too hard to find.

It's easy to get lost if you don't know the way.

It's easy to get lost if you don't know the way.

- LOUD BACKGROUND CHATTER - I've been looking for my daughter.

Have you seen her?

You don't have perceptible hearing damage.

The only thing that I can say

is that you are hypersensitive

to white noise in your environment

and becoming fixated on tones

that otherwise go unnoticed.

It could be related to menopause.

Mm! OK. Hold on there, I'm 41.

- OK. Or perimenopause. - Sure.

It's also something that I have seen in patients who are dealing

with acute stress.

- Anxiety. - Mm-hm. - Which is something I'd suggest

- speaking to a therapist about. - Mm-hm.

Yeah. OK. Look, erm...

I... I understand why you are suggesting these things,

but...

..I promise you it is not anxiety or stress.

I would like to run some more tests, please.

I-I don't know.

Nervous system.

Maybe a b-brain thing.

I would like some referrals, please.

OK, Claire, I'm just going to pop your head into the screen here.

You OK there?

WHIRRING

"Death really did not matter to him, but life did.

"And therefore, the sensation he felt when they gave their decision

"was not a feeling of fear,

but of nostalgia.

"He did not speak until they asked him for his last request."

BOOK SLAMS

Kyle, if you want

to take a nap, go home.

Don't waste my fucking time.

CLASS GASPS

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God!

Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Can you sit back down, please, Kyle?

Kyle.

Kyle, sit back down.

Kyle, do...do not leave my classroom.

Kyle.

Just relax.

Do you need anything?

Let's carry on, shall we?

And, uh, if none of you

go to sleep, then I promise not to swear at you.

Deal? OK.

Rory, if you want to pick us up...

Kyle's got a vibe, that's all.

- Yeah, a weird one. - He's not weird.

- You're just sheltered. - Right,

him and Rory are on some WhatsApp group

where they just send each other

photos of their dicks in, like, funny locations.

He's weird!

I know.

- I saw some of his contributions. - THEY GIGGLE

- Just go home. - It's just a nosebleed, Cass.

It's not just a nosebleed, you know that.

Yeah, it is.

Any more test lined up?

No. Because, erm, medically, there is nothing wrong with me,

so that can only mean one thing.

Just take the afternoon off.

I can't. The top of Act 2 is still a mess,

and we need to finish it tonight.

Listen, given what a shitshow you currently are,

I'd rather run rehearsals on my own. OK?

Thank you.

Go home, rest, come back

and be less boring.

Oof. OK.

Just...

For the sake of the dolphins...

That is not a strong look, Mum.

Yeah. I'm aware.

What's this?

Uh, they get, like, high off this toxin in the puffer fish.

What?

It induces a state of euphoria,

like heightened awareness.

Wow.

What's going on?

Did you actually, like, swear at Kyle Francis?

I know, I know.

- And he just walked out? - Mm-hm.

That's weird.

You've been weird.

People are...noticing.

CLAIRE EXHALES

I'm worried about you.

What?

You've not been yourself.

I think you need, like, actual help.

I'm fine.

I'm just tired.

I'm going to figure this out.

- Babe? - Yeah? - What's going on?

Uh. Just thought I'd set up shop in here.

Can't really do another sleepless night.

- Here, let me help. - No. It's fine.

I don't want you to be punished for this.

- I mean, I can... - No, it's not about punishment. It's just, erm,

I think I can help you better on a bit more sleep.

Great. Sure.

OK.

- I'm sorry. - No, it's fine.

LOW HUM

I've been looking for my daughter.

Have you seen her?

She's wearing a blue dress with a white gown.

CACOPHONY OF SOUND

I'm so tired. It's...

It's worse than when Ash was a baby.

I feel like I can't trust my...my senses.

Like, I don't...

Like I don't know what's real and what's in...

BELL RINGS

CLAIRE EXHALES

Uh, Miss.

Do you have a sec?

- Yeah, Kyle. Yes. - I know I've been a bit...

..checked out in class recently.

I want to let you know, I'm sorry.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

And I am sorry, too, for losing my temper.

OK?

Seriously, though, what ARE you listening to?

CLAIRE LAUGHS

Erm...

Uh, just some old-school stuff.

Oh, what...? Old-school like what - Mozart?

- Uh...Missy Elliott. - Oh! Come on.

Missy Elliott's not old-school. That's like...

- It's before I was born, so, uh... - Oh. Ouch. OK. Yeah, fair enough.

It's just, erm...

..sometimes it helps distract me from the sound.

The one that's always there.

Everywhere.

Or I lose myself.

I thought I was the only one who could hear it.

And then, that one time in rehearsal, you asked about it.

That low buzz. And...

..I realised I wasn't.

Do you still hear it?

It's almost like a kind of rumble.

CHATTER OUTSIDE

I thought it was a concussion at first.

Luke Bamford hit me in the head during football

and I started hearing it,

but it never went away.

I mean, all my teachers think I'm...

..high or something,

but it can be hard to concentrate.

And it gives you headaches.

I'm sorry, I can't... I thought... DOOR OPENS

Oh, Mr Francis.

We were just having a chat.

He's...

OK.

Wait for you in the hall.

OK.

OK.

Erm...

..maybe we can talk about it more sometime.

Please.

I will see you at rehearsal, Kyle.

Mm?

# Mama, who gave me

# No way to handle things

# Who made me so bad

# Mama, the weeping

# Mama, the angels

# No sleep in heaven

SINGING FADES

# Or Bethlehem. #

MUTED APPLAUSE

Let's get going.

- Night. - Night-night.

# Please give me a second grace

# Please give me your second face

# I've fallen far down

# The first time around

# I sit on the ground in your way

# Come sit down on the fence in the sun

# I've fallen... #

Kyle.

# We'll never deny

# It's really too hard for the fly... #

Kyle.

Sometimes I get lost in it...

..like nothing else exists.

Yeah.

Like a giant fucking lorry

engine left on.

Like that...low kind of rumble.

So have you... Have you told anyone?

My mum, but...

..she freaked out.

So I told her it's gone.

OK.

And my mates.

But we were high, so I think I got away with it.

- Mm. - No-one else can hear it.

No, I know. Why is it just us?

So what do you think it is,

some kind of factory or industrial thing?

Maybe.

Could be some natural phenomenon.

Or supernatural.

Kyle, this isn't some sort of elaborate prank, is it?

Erm...what do you mean?

I mean, are you playing a practical joke on me?

No. No, w-why would I do that?

Can I show you something?

I've been doing this map thing.

So I live here.

Here's the field.

And then up here is a big industrial park.

And then up here, along this ridge,

- you've got the new wind turbines. - Mm-hm.

I think that would be a good place to start.

- "Start..."? - Like to take measurements. - I'm...

I've got an app that can measure different signal strengths

- to various frequencies... - OK, what, are you...?

Wait, are you suggesting that we both go there and take measurements?

- Yeah. - No! Sorry. - Don't you want to know the source?

No. I cannot see you outside of school.

That is not what we are doing. No, we're not doing that.

No, no.

- Kyle... - Just give me your number.

Hey. Can you... What...?

CLAIRE SCOFFS

PHONE CHIMES, BUZZES

OK.

Done?

- See you tomorrow. - Yep.

# When I woke up today

# And you weren't there to play

# Then I wanted to be with you

# When you showed me your eyes

# Whispered love at the skies

# Then I wanted to stay with you

# Inside me I feel

# Alone and unreal

# And the way you kiss

# Will always be a very special thing to me

# When I lay still at night

# Seeing stars high and light

# Then I wanted to be with you

# When the rooftops shone dark... #

"I'm going to go take some readings.

"Come?

"I'll let you drive."

# Inside me I feel

# Alone and unreal

# And the way you kiss

# Will always be a very special thing to me

Hello, it's Claire.

Leave a message after the beep.

BEEP

Hey, it's me. Uh, I sent you a text.

I know you're probably at your appointment, but just call me

when you get this. OK. Love you, bye.

Hey.

Come on, get in before...

OK, then, show me the...the thing.

OK. So...

OK.

So this measures decibels.

- Mm-hm. - Here's frequency.

Try it.

Aaaah.

- WHISPERS: - Beautiful.

Beautiful.

OK. Yeah. So, uh,

23dB and 192Hz.

Get down, get down!

And they found that elephants make this really low-frequency sound

- that we can't hear but other elephants can. - Mm.

Up to, like, miles away.

- Hmm. - And the sound acts like a

private communication channel for them.

It's called infrasound.

You heard of it? Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

- I hadn't. - It's like whales

and, erm, I think I read that it's maybe rhinos once.

What are you...? Hey, what do you...

Can you not in the car?!

I'll put the window down.

- Sorry. - Jesus, smells like cough syrup.

KYLE LAUGHS

It can be produced naturally,

- like weather. - Uh-huh, OK.

- But also factories and shit. - Right.

- So it could be pretty much anything, then. - Yeah, I guess so.

So what is this place again?

Are we looking for aliens?

KYLE LAUGHS

No, I think it's like...

Haven't they found them yet?

Maybe THAT'S who's trying to reach us.

It's saying, uh, 78Hz.

- 78? - Yeah. - OK.

Do you, erm, get nightmares?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, I don't know, it's hard, though. It's like everything.

First, I think, well, it's just lack of sleep.

- My body's exhausted, but then... - Yeah.

Then I start to think that maybe it's...

- It feels like it's connected to the noise. - Mm-hm.

- I don't know how else to explain it. - No, that makes sense.

- Really? - That makes sense. Yeah.

No, like...

..I definitely thought it was sleep deprivation at first.

Like before you go to sleep and you think you're falling?

- Yeah. - Like that but, like...awake.

But since the last few days...

..since we started talking...

..I feel less freaked out.

Hey!

You can't be up there!

Run, run, run, run. Just keep running.

THEY GIGGLE

# Please give me a second face

# I've fallen far down

# The first time around

# Now I just sit on the ground in your way... #

I mean, I'm picking up a pretty low frequency. Like...

..50Hz.

I don't think that's it, though.

No, this has been here for a while.

I remember this phase for you.

Introspective.

Well-read.

Antsy.

Mm.

So, uh, what now?

Dinner?

Mm?

Hey, I thought...maybe I could, erm...

..you know. I mean, I've been sleeping better

the last couple nights.

# Please play me your second game

# I've fallen so far

- # For the people you are... # - Come on.

# I just need your star for a day... #

SONG CONTINUES

What's going on? Are you OK?

Yeah. I'm fine, I-I'm good.

Erm, I just needed to talk to you.

Please, do not text me at night

unless it's an emergency.

How are you?

I mean, are you somewhere you can talk?

- Can this not wait until tomorrow? - Hey. - Jesus!

Sorry.

You frightened me.

Erm...

- Who was that? - It was just...

It was Cassandra. She's...

She's going through a really hard time,

so I didn't want to, you know...

Are you having an affair?

What? Ashley!

Is it Mr Deacon?

What?! No!

God, no!

Oh, please, give me some credit.

It's someone you're going to see tomorrow, apparently,

at school.

Cassandra!

Right.

Night.

# God, is this it?

# This can't be it

# Oh, God, what a bitch. #

Gentlemen, turn in your verses and clear away your personal effects.

See you tomorrow. 7am.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

You've nailed it. Yes. Go, go, go, go. Greet your fans.

CLAIRE CHUCKLES

- Hi, Miss. - Hi, Miss.

Hey! So good. Well done. Have fun.

- Erm, Miss Kutty? - Yeah.

Erm, this is my mum, Siobhan.

- Oh, hi. - Hi.

It's really nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you.

- Yeah? - Yeah. - Well...

..you have a very, very talented son.

- Oh, he's really enjoyed doing the show. - Yeah? - It's, erm...

- It's rare for him to be enthusiastic about anything... - Mum. - ..these days.

No, it's been hard since we moved over, but this has really helped.

- Yeah. - I'm glad. - So...

Erm, I'm just going to grab my stuff

and I'll meet you at the car, OK?

OK, yeah. OK, yeah. Don't be long.

Erm...

Erm, there are other people who can hear it.

What do you mean?

Other people who can hear the hum.

Erm, they have a meeting.

I can't... Mm.

What do you mean? There...

- There's others. - OK, OK.

- Yeah. - You'll come, won't you?

You're not coming?

No. I'm a bit wiped out from last night.

I think I'm just going to rest up today.

- OK. - OK.

Hey, come here.

I'll see you later.

- See ya. - See ya.

DOOR CLOSES

# Of lessons learned, of lessons learned

# Of bridges burned, of bridges burned

# This time I'll do things differently

# This time I'll act immediately

# Of struggling, of struggling

# Of giving in, of giving in

# This time I'll keep an overview... #

Hi. Uh, we're here for the...group.

Welcome. Please, come in.

- Omar. - Kyle.

Claire.

# This time I'll keep away from you... #

DOOR CLOSES