Listen
The Story
Jay Stringer is wired - he's listening through the wall. Is his neighbour Don really saying those things about him or is he going paranoid on the drugs?
His best mate Owen says its weird. If he carries on he's going to lose his daughter, Fi. Then he'll have nothing left to live for...
Episode 1 - Living Precarious
Jay’s life is a mess. He's unemployed, his marriage is broken and he's turning to drugs. Jay is convinced he can hear his harmless neighbour Don talking about him through the wall. Jay’s best mate, Owen, listens to Jay’s paranoid concerns, even though Jay forgets that Owen’s wife, Bev, is dying from cancer. Jay ends his call to his dealer, crashing his car.
Episode 2 - Got Your Number
As the Autumn nights draw in, Jay is convinced Don is listening to his every move. His one solace is Fi, his chirpy 6 year old daughter. At bedtime Jay reads to Fi Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince, then while horsing around, Jay accidentally knocks her tooth out.
Episode 3 - Accidents Happen
On the doorstep Fi tells Don and Tina: “Daddy knocked my tooth out!” Jay’s paranoia and drug habit worsen - he is keen to speak to dealer Karl but ignores calls from his concerned dad. Jay takes up Owen’s suggestion to record “the voices”, screaming through the wall that he has turned the microphone on.
Episode 4 - Claiming Commitment
From his window, Jay watches Don feeding his Koi carp, believing Don is spying on him. At the Job Centre Jay is warned that he is at risk of losing his benefits. He is required to attend a job interview at Asda. Owen speaks to his wife Bev at her hospital bedside: she only has a few days left to live.
Episode 5 - Drops to Make
Jackie, Jay’s ex-wife, confides in Fi about her past relationship with Jay. Jay’s brother, no-nonsense Terry, re-assures him that his issue with the neighbours will blow over, suggesting Jay write Don a letter. Jay’s interview at the Asda supermarket descends into chaos when he hears Don’s voice mocking him.
Episode 6 - Signing Off
Jay begs Owen to lend him more money, but Jay has missed Bev’s funeral and Owen finally snaps and “signs off” from Jay. Jay falls asleep exhausted dreaming he is lying on a beach with his ex-wife Jackie. Jackie denies any knowledge of Fi. Jay runs, crying out, searching for Fi.
Episode 7 - Stepping Out
Jay wakes from his dream with Fi at his side calling him, concerned at her screaming father. Jay now hears the voices continuously. He crashes around, shouting at them, a prisoner in his own home. Winter deepens. Jay accuses Terry of talking to the neighbours about him.
Episode 8 - Chow Time
Following his bizarre letter to Don, Jay is visited by a social worker. Jackie prevents Fi spending Christmas with Jay. Christmas Day arrives and Jay blames Don for his misery. Narrating his own actions, Jay smashes down Don's front door and dragging him up the garden to his koi carp pond ...