BBC Radio 4 announced this week that it is working with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anthony Del Col on a new esports-focused psychological thriller/audio drama called “Don’t Listen to This.” The new show will debut Dec. 27, on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, and is part of the Limelight series of audio dramas.
Set in the “world of esports,” Don’t Listen to This stars actress and playwright Sophie Wu, and is being produced by the team behind the audio series Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, according to the announcement. Created by Canadian writer Anthony Del Col, the audio drama focuses on the death of a top esports athlete and the journey of his former team’s psychologist, who is on a mission to uncover the truth.
“The world of esports is the perfect place to set a story – full of drama, intrigue, friendship, ego, money and more,” Del Col said in a release. “I’m so excited to have teamed up with BBC Studios and a fantastic cast to create this psychological thriller that will make listeners lean in to find out what happens next (or to stop listening because they’re, quite frankly, scared).”
To create the show, Del Col consulted with professional League of Legends players, and Riot Games employees, among others, over the last several years. The game referenced in the show, called “Ghosts of Infinity,” takes its inspiration from League of Legends and Counter-Strike, according the the announcement. Dan “Foxdrop” Wyatt also contributed to the project.
The five-episode series stars Sophie Wu (“Kick-Ass”) as psychologist Cressida Yang, Thaddea Graham (“Sex Education”) as player/streamer Blu_Devil, Nikesh Patel (“The Devil’s Hour”, “Starstruck”) as team owner R.J. Park, and Jonny Weldon (“One Day”) as shoutcaster Rooftop. The series is directed and produced by BBC Studios’ Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic and Lorna Newman, who oversaw the successful 2022 audio series “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.”
More details about the show can be found here.