'Code of Silence's Creator on the Time Being Right for a Deaf Crime Show Lead

The latest addition to BritBox’s crime drama lineup, the big-hearted thriller Code of Silence, has become one of the streaming service's biggest series to date. It follows Alison, played by Rose Ayling-Ellis (Ludwig), a young deaf woman who gets swept up in a dangerous investigation because she’s been tapped by detectives to work as a lipreader. Though the stakes are high, the show focuses on Rose’s personal life and her experiences as a deaf woman in a hearing world.

As outlandish as a lipreading citizen detective might seem, series creator Catherine Moulton (who also wrote episodes of PBS's Baptiste) was inspired to write the show from her own experience with deafness and lipreading. Prior to creating Code of Silence, Moulton was well-versed in the crime drama and thriller genres. She wrote and executive-produced the recent Hulu miniseries The Stolen Girl, as well as contributing writing credits to thrillers such as Apple TV+'s Hijack and Then You Run (currently tucked away for free on Tubi). 

Code of Silence fits neatly into all the twists and turns of a typical crime drama, but Moulton and the character of Alison bring a new perspective to the genre. The show explores the limitations that society puts on deaf and disabled people, and the lengths that Alison will go to in order to prove herself capable.

We spoke to Catherine Moulton about her personal inspiration for the show, developing the character of Alison, and the bright future of Code of Silence.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Telly Visions: What came first, wanting to write a deaf character or wanting to write a crime drama? How did you decide to combine the two?

Catherine Moulton: It’s quite hard to separate those things out. I’ve been partially deaf since childhood, and I have hearing aids. However, I’ve always loved crime dramas, and I have written crime shows before writing this one. I think it was more than I felt the landscape had changed a little, and it was now the time when people would be a little bit more open to seeing a lead deaf character on screen. It also came alongside being aware of Rose’s previous work and wanting to write something for Rose. All of these things dovetailed together in a lovely way.

TV: The sound design and visual design of the show are very authentic to the physical and sensory experience of being hard of hearing. What was the process like for developing that aspect of the show?

CM: There was a version of the evolving subtitles in the script from very early on, although those did kind of change all the way through. A lot of the time, the first letters you’re seeing are the visible shapes of lip reading, and then you’re seeing Alison’s internal process of working it out. The sound design came a bit later, and that was something in which Rose had a really big input. People were always asking both of us — there were a lot of hearing people, a hearing director — and they wanted to know what we could hear.

To learn more about how the team of d/Deaf creatives behind Code of Silence developed the show’s sound design, see our interview with Rose Ayling-Ellis.

TV: Alison has such complex motivations and many-layered secrets. As a writer, how did you chart Alison’s emotional journey?

CM: I wanted to stick to Alison’s personal journey and to put her in places where she had real dilemmas, like where her loyalties lie. Do they lie with the police? Or as she gets to know Liam, she understands more why he’s doing what he’s doing, and recognizes him as a kindred spirit. I wanted her loyalty to be really divided, and she’s trying to do the right thing by both of those relationships. 

TV: It’s exciting to talk to you so soon after it was announced that ITV would pick the show up for a second season. Is there anything you can tell us about the future of the show?

CM: It’s really early days, so we’re just getting started, but Alison has a lot more to say for herself.

All episodes of Code of Silence Season 1 are available to stream on BritBox. Season 2 has already been greenlit and is expected to debut on ITV in the U.K. in 2026, followed by its release on BritBox in the U.S.