'Code of Silence' Quietly Drops ITV Premiere Date

BritBox and ITV have released a selection of first-look images from the first season of the new crime thriller Code of Silence. First announced in mid-2024, the groundbreaking series may sound like a middle-of-the-road spy caper, but the "Silence" in the title refers not to secrecy but to actual silence. The lead character is a Deaf woman who finds herself solving crimes professionally due to her lip-reading abilities and partly due to her particular ability to get people to talk to her. 

It is the second mystery series to feature characters from various disabled and neurodiverse communities after Patience, the remake of Astrid (Astrid & Raphaelle), which debuted in the U.K. in early 2025 and is expected to debut as part of PBS' "Summer of Mysteries" sometime in the next six months. Code of Silence has now set a release date in the U.K., with BritBox clarifying the show will follow in the States after its run is completed overseas. 

The story was written by Baptiste's Catherine Moulton and is drawn from her own experiences as someone in the hard-of-hearing community and with lip reading. The series' lead character is "smart and determined" Alison Brooks, who much like Patience, works in the police station, but in a job that reflects what society assumes her ability level is due to her disability, not what her skills actually reflect. 

Here's the show's synopsis:

At the heart of the series is Alison Brooks, a smart and determined Deaf woman. Having spent years working in a police canteen and secretly observing conversations, her life takes an unexpected turn when her exceptional lip-reading skills catch the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis and DI James Marsh. Recruited for a covert operation, Alison is tasked with surveilling a dangerous gang as they plot a high-stakes heist, thrusting her into a world of crime, deception, and risk like never before.

As she deciphers their secret exchanges, Alison becomes an invaluable asset to the case, but the deeper she gets, the more perilous her role becomes. When she crosses paths with Liam Barlow, the gang’s newest recruit, an unexpected and dangerous bond forms between them, one that threatens to expose her true identity while pulling her further into the criminal world. Juggling the pressures of undercover work, family struggles, and the fallout of a long-term relationship, Alison must navigate a world of deception and danger, testing her resilience and ultimately reshaping her life forever.

Rose Ayling-Ellis (Ludwig) leads the cast as Alison Brooks, costarring with Charlotte Ritchie (Call the Midwife) as DS Ashleigh Francis, Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch) as DI James Marsh, and Kieron Moore as Liam Bayne. The supporting cast includes Nathan Armarkwei Laryea (The Witcher), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin), Beth Goddard (The Serpent Queen), Andrew Scarborough (Downton Abbey), Fifi Garfield (Deaf Funny), and presenter Rolf Choutan, making his acting debut.

The series was conceived by Catherine Moulton (Baptiste), who drew on her experiences with lip-reading and hearing loss. Moulton wrote four of the series' six episodes, with writers Will Truefitt and Benji Walters penning the other two. Diarmuid Goggins (Kin) and Chanya Button (World on Fire) split directing duties across the show's six episodes with Joe Shrubb producing. Ayling-Ellis and Moulton executive produce alongside Bryony Arnold & Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen and Robert Schildhouse & Stephen Nye for BritBox.

Code of Silence will premiere on ITV1 and ITVX in the U.K. on Sunday, May 18, 2025, and air weekly through mid-June. It will follow on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada in the second half of the year.