The new Britbox series Code of Silence has found a unique and timely way into the popular “crime procedural” format.
In Code of Silence, which premieres July 24 on the streamer, Rose Ayling-Ellis stars as Alison, a deaf woman working in the police department canteen. (Ayling-Ellis is also a member of the Deaf community). Alison’s life drastically changes when Detective Sergeant Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie) asks her to read the lips of dangerous criminals caught on surveillance video. But Alison does more than that when she inadvertently infiltrates the gang’s inner circle and falls for the charming Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), one of the police’s main suspects.
The six-episode drama stands out for how it visually depicts the challenge of reading lips. Initially, the words Alison attempts to translate appear onscreen in the wrong order. She also interprets some of the words incorrectly, with her best guesses also appearing onscreen. From there, Alison transposes the words to decipher what those under investigation are truly saying.
Ayling-Ellis, who is also an executive producer on the show, appreciated Code of Silence’s realistic exploration and application of speechreading. “There is a misconception that lip reading is like reading a book,” Ayling-Ellis tells the Television Academy. “But, actually, it [requires] so much hard work. You actually only get like 20-30% [of the words]; it’s like a puzzle by itself.”
When Ayling-Ellis — who can also be seen in BBC’s Doctor Who — received the pilot script for Silence, she was relieved to see creatives “finally write about how hard this is.”
While the show has already aired in the UK and was picked up for a second season by ITV, Ayling-Ellis spoke to the Television Academy ahead of Silence’s Britbox premiere about her experience making this grounded crime drama.
Television Academy: What was the audition process for this role like?
Rose Ayling-Ellis: I actually never auditioned for this. I was approached about two years before they started filming. It was just an outline about what the series was about.
Is that rare, not having to audition?
Because deaf roles are so rare, I do get offers for roles. Like for Doctor Who, I didn’t audition for that. I often audition for roles that aren’t [for playing] a deaf character. Casting directors, they work so hard — and I feel so grateful that they give me auditions for roles that didn’t have to be deaf — but I never get those roles.
You are also an executive producer on the series.
I’ve been in the industry for quite a long time; I’ve been an actor for 14 years. I always work behind the scenes. I always give [the production] a list of deaf people to work with and [share] how to make [the set] a more accessible environment. [I advise] on editing. [For example], you need to see someone tapping me and then I turn. I've been doing that for so long. It’s nice to finally get the credit for it. At the end of the day, I'm never going to be hearing — my deafness is a part of me. It's in the way I speak, it’s in the way I behave. That is never going to go away.
Ayling-Ellis also provided production with a list of actors in the Deaf community to use / Britbox
Alison makes some questionable decisions throughout the course of the series, often putting herself in extremely precarious situations. How did you approach the character in that regard?
I need to believe in what I’m doing because I can’t [perform] it if I don’t believe it. What is [Alison’s] reason for going too far and putting herself in very dangerous situations? But I realized she is doing what a lot of disabled people do. It's the frustration of society, putting an idea on her on how she lives her life. She wants to do so much more.
I know so many disabled people that have been working in the same company for 10 years and they never get promoted. Then, someone else comes along and gets promoted to a job that they’ve been trying to get. It’s almost like, “Oh, you should be very grateful for having a job.” When, actually, no. We’ve got our own minds and ambition. We've got motivation, we have drive. So when [Alison] has this opportunity with the police, she’s not doing it to be a superhero and save everybody. She’s doing it for selfish reasons. She’s doing it for herself, really. She wants to be the one that has done something meaningful.
Do you think that is what draws her to Liam? That he immediately sees beyond Alison’s deafness?
They both have quite a lot in common. Liam comes from a tough upbringing, so he doesn’t want to be a bad person. But he has been put into a situation that he didn’t choose, and that’s the same for Alison. She has been put into a situation that she didn’t choose, and then it’s her moment to make choices, and the same for him. I think they see that in each other.
As the series begins, Alison has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend. He’s a good guy, but he’s not the right guy for her.
It’s nice to see deaf women on TV having to deal with relationship issues and represent that sort of relationship that is just comfortable. As a woman, we are always being taught that we have to think about other people's feelings. Why should we think about everyone else all the time?
What do you hope viewers take away from the series?
First, it was important that it’s entertaining — because that is what draws people to watch. I also want them to take away that not all deaf people are the same and to not just put us all in one box.There are so many stories that could be told and haven’t been told yet.
Do you have any insights into what future stories can be told in this world, since ITV picked up the show for a second season?
We are brainstorming; these are such early days. I have no idea what is going to be next for Alison, but I’m looking forward to it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Code of Silence premieres July 24 on Britbox.
