Rose Ayling-Ellis will lead the new ITV drama series Code of Silence, which sees her first major on-screen role since she left EastEnders last year.
In Code of Silence, we follow deaf catering worker, Alison Woods. She’s struggling to make ends meet, juggling two jobs, in a police canteen and a local bar. However, her life changes when a Detective Constable approaches her to lip-read the conversations of dangerous criminals.
This plunges Alison into an exhilarating and dangerous new world, so far removed from what she's used to, and ITV has praised the "brilliantly original story", which is written by Peaky Blinders' Catherine Moulton.
ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill said: "In a world where there’s a lot of crime drama Code of Silence really stands out. It’s a brilliantly original story and a great role for Rose Ayling-Ellis. Catherine Moulton has written a thrilling drama that audiences will be gripped and surprised by, but she also puts you in the shoes of Alison, a young Deaf woman.
"I am incredibly proud to make this show with Rose, Catherine, and Mammoth Screen. It’s a mainstream crime show, but one that can make a real difference to the audience’s understanding of the Deaf community."
Speaking about her new role as Alison, Rose Ayling-Ellis told fans: "I am so thrilled to be coming on board for Code of Silence and to get to work with the incredible team at Mammoth Screen.
"When I first read Catherine Moulton’s script it was obvious that her first-hand experiences and understanding has enabled her to write a truly authentic character and I knew I had to be a part of this project. I am so delighted ITV are as excited as we are to bring this to life and I can’t wait to get to started!"
The ITV drama is produced by Mammoth Screen, known for recent shows such as Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? and Tom Jones, for ITV1 and ITVX.
Mammoth Screen's Founder and Chief Creative Officer Damien Timmer adds: "Rose Ayling-Ellis is one of the UK’s most luminous stars and Catherine Moulton is one of our most exciting new writing talents so this really is a match made in heaven!"
Code of Silence will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios but we don't have any confirmed release dates at the moment.
