Deaf character makes herself heard in Code of Silence

National Post

a day ago

First and foremost, Code of Silence is just plain good TV. Compelling characters, suspenseful plot, and relatable themes of black, white and the messy grey in between. But secondly, the show is breaking ground for inclusion on the small screen.
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The new drama centres on a deaf canteen worker named Alison Brooks (deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis), who, thanks to her lip-reading skills, is drawn into a police investigation of an impending jewelry heist. The series debuted in May on British network ITVX, and it starts streaming July 24 on BritBox in Canada. A second season is on the way.
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'The fact that this is a deaf protagonist leading a show for a mainstream audience in such a compelling circumstance is just brilliant,' executive producer Bryony Arnold told The Hollywood Reporter. 'It is a thriller and a relationship drama, but underneath that, we will hopefully be teaching the audience a little bit about deaf awareness and deaf culture.'
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That's to say teaching in subtle nudges, not in ham-handed shoves. The accomplishment is a testament to the show's team, behind the camera and in front of it.
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'Rose (Ayling-Ellis), and I both have different experiences of deafness,' creator and writer Catherine Moulton, who is partially deaf, told The Hollywood Reporter. 'And we had a script head who is deaf, and we had deaf, disabled and neurodiverse (DDN), people throughout the crew.'
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Ayling-Ellis, meanwhile, has seen her career become white-hot in the lead-up to Code of Silence. After starring on British soap opera EastEnders, she earned an Olivier Award nomination for her role in As You Like It, participated in two documentaries about deafness, starred in the BBC thriller Reunion, and appeared on Doctor Who.
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After Code of Silence debuted in Britain, The Guardian described her performance as 'a triumph.' The Independant said 'she's surpassed herself' and predicted that she'd eventually win an Oscar. The show currently has a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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There's a quiet scene in Code of Silence in which Alison is watching TV with her mother, who's also deaf. It's been a tough day. Alison asks her mom, 'Do you think about what life would be like if things were different?'
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Alison's response is telling. 'No. I don't want to be hearing,' she says. 'I just want them to be a bit deaf. I'm really fed up of trying to prove myself.'
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