Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent
_Lip-Reading, Lies, and Danger: Code of Silence Premieres August 1st on Lionsgate Play_
Silence speaks volumes in Code of Silence, a riveting new British crime drama premiering exclusively on Lionsgate Play this August 1st. At the heart of the suspense is an unusually endearing heroine: Alison Brooks, played by hearing-impaired actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, a working-class deaf canteen worker whose life takes an extraordinary turn when her remarkable lip-reading skills thrust her into a high-stakes police investigation targeting a dangerous criminal gang. As Alison navigates a perilous world of lies, undercover work, and unexpected attachments, including a complicated connection with prime suspect Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), her life becomes a tangle of danger, deception, and discovery. And, as she’s pulled deeper into the case, her silence becomes her strength, and every unspoken moment holds deadly weight.
Bringing a fresh and distinctive perspective on crime and communication, Code of Silence weaves a powerful and emotional narrative, highlighting crucial representation for the Deaf community. It’s a story of resilience and courage, where a woman long underestimated finds her voice in the most unlikely of places. With Charlotte Ritchie, Andrew Buchan, and Fifi Garfield bringing layered performances alongside Rose Ayling-Ellis, the series blends thrilling twists with heartfelt depth, shining a spotlight on what it truly means to be heard in a world that too often refuses to listen. Don’t miss the gripping debut of this acclaimed British series where silence isn’t weakness, it’s power.
Talking about what excited her to take up this project as the lead, Rose Ayling-Ellis shared,_“It offers a more truthful experience of a Deaf person lip reading. You want to be authentic to the experience of Deaf people, but it’s an entertaining drama as well so you need a mix of the two. Code of Silence has a Deaf character at the center, and you can’t just ignore that, but she’s got other stuff going on too. Catherine Moulton, the writer, is also becoming increasingly hard of hearing, and once she’d decided to learn how to lip read, she realised it was more difficult than she had thought. That’s what got me most excited: somebody else experiencing it, not just me coming in and telling people what it’s like to be Deaf. For example, everyone thinks you can lip read from a distance and see everything someone says, but it’s not always like that. Lip reading is a puzzle, and you really see that in Code of Silence.”_
Talking about her character, lead actress Rose said, _“She’s living in Canterbury and working lots of different jobs to make ends meet. That’s what a lot of people are going through in this country, but she has more of a challenge because she really has to prove herself to people. You can give a Deaf person a job in a pub and think they’re going to be so grateful just to have it, but it might not be what they really want to do. I can relate to that experience.”_
She further added, _“Before I did any of this, I worked in Sainsbury’s, I worked as a gardener, I was a seamstress, but I never got promoted and never got to work my way up. I’m not the only Deaf or disabled person to have experienced that, which is why the police job is such a big deal for her. She feels empowered because she’s doing something that the police can’t even do themselves. She really comes to love that power, even if she goes too far sometimes.”_
Rose Ayling-Ellis and Charlotte Ritchie steps into a world where silence speaks volumes with ‘Code of Silence’ premiering on Lionsgate Play this August
