The 'Code of Silence' Trailer Introduces a Groundbreaking Detective Story

BritBox has set an official release date for its groundbreaking new crime series, Code of Silence, a six-part drama that follows the story of a deaf woman whose lip-reading skills land her a job with the local police when they need help with a covert operation. More than that, however, the thriller is an important example of inclusion onscreen, providing representation for the deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse communities, both in front of and behind the camera, at a time when many American productions are shying away from diversity initiatives.

Rose Ayling Ellis stars as Allison, a financially struggling worker in the police canteen who finds herself suddenly invited to work with DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie) to help bring down a local criminal gang. But she soon finds herself caught up in the case in more ways than one, particularly when she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to one of the suspects.

Ayling-Ellis is one of the best-known deaf actors in the U.K., thanks to her years-long run on the popular soap EastEnders in the early 2020s, punctuated by her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in the 2021 edition of the show. (She was the first-ever deaf contestant on the series, and she won.) Most recently, she played a pivotal guest-starring role in the (excellent) Doctor Who episode "The Well," and seems more than ready to break into the mainstream with this role. Code of Silence did gangbusters ratings during its U.K. run on ITV, and we can only cross our fingers it finds a similar audience here in the States.

Here's the series synopsis. 

Code of Silence is told through the point of view of Alison Brooks, a Deaf canteen worker. Alison is struggling to make ends meet, juggling two jobs, one in a police canteen and another in a local bar, while also doing her best to support her Deaf mum, Julie. It’s not long before Alison is pulled into a high-stakes police investigation when DS Ashleigh Francis asks that she use her lip-reading skills to monitor a dangerous criminal gang. As her interpretation of their covert conversations becomes central to the investigation, Alison is plunged into an exhilarating new world. Her role quickly becomes key to unlocking the police case, but her feelings become complicated when she finds herself drawn to one of the suspects, Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore). Despite knowing the risks and the growing threat to her personal life, Alison can’t let go.

Alongside Ellis and Ritchie, the series also stars Andrew Buchan (Black Doves) as DI James Marsh and Kieron Moore (Masters of the Air) as Liam Bayne. The ensemble also features 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 created by Catherine Moulton (Baptiste), who drew on her experiences with lip-reading and hearing loss. Moulton wrote four of the series' six episodes, with 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 BritBox on Thursday, July 24, 2025, with two episodes, followed by weekly releases through its finale on August 21.