Deafness dramatically changes Bella's experience of the busy streets of London.

But, as she sits on the top deck of a bus, she realises that while she can't hear the sounds of the crowd, she has a new way to read the interactions on the street below.

In 1997, Bella began to go deaf. Within a few months, she had lost half her hearing, and the rest was slipping away. She wasn't just missing punchlines, she was missing most of the conversation - and all of the jokes. For the next 12 years deafness shaped her life.

Sound draws on this experience, exploring the practical and emotional impact of losing your hearing, and what it teaches you about listening and silence, music and noise.

Read by Adjoa Andoh.

Abridged by Jo Coombs.

Producer: Hannah Marshall

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017. Show less