Code of Silence cast, filming locations and episode guide for ITV crime drama

Code of Silence is a new ITV crime thriller which places how we communicate with others at the heart of the story.

Created by Catherine Moulton, who drew on her own experiences with lip-reading and hearing loss, it stars deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alison Brooks, a police staff canteen worker who is drawn into undercover police work with a dangerous gang because of her lip-reading skills.

Moutlon said: “Lip reading is complicated guesswork, piecing together of clues in real time.

“The visible shapes on the lips, the rhythm of speech, body language, what you know about the person speaking and the situation. I realised that lip readers are detectives, unlocking a silent code.

“From there, my story started to take shape.

“I love crime drama, and I wanted to write a twisty, entertaining thriller with an emotional heart.

“A main character who has to watch closely suggested a surveillance story.”

What is Code of Silence about?

Alison Brooks (Rose Ayling-Ellis) is a smart and determined deaf woman who has spent years working in a police canteen.

She passes the time secretly lip-reading conversations for entertainment, and her skill catches the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte

Ritchie) and DI James Marsh (Andrew Buchan).

Recruited for a covert operation, she is tasked with surveilling a dangerous gang as they plot a high-stakes heist.

Thrust into a world of crime, deception and risk, she must decipher secret exchanges by the gang members and associates.

But as she becomes an invaluable asset to the case and is drawn deeper into the work, her role becomes ever more perilous.

When she crosses paths with Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), the gang’s newest recruit, an unexpected and dangerous bond forms between them.

It is one which threatens to expose her true identity and pull 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 which tests her resilience and reshapes her life forever.

Who is in the cast of Code of Silence?

Rose Ayling-Ellis

Rose Ayling-Ellis leads the cast as Alison Brooks, a deaf woman working in a police staff canteen who is drawn into the world of undercover policing because of her lip-reading skills.

She said about her role: “She’s living in Canterbury and working lots of different jobs to make ends meet.

“That’s what a lot of people are going through in this country, but she has more of a challenge because she really has to prove herself to people…which is why the police job is such a big deal for her.

“She feels empowered because she’s doing something that the police can’t even do themselves.”

The British actress, 30, rose to fame as Frankie Lewis in EastEnders.

She has also appeared in Summer of Rockets, Ludwig and Reunion.

In 2021, she won Strictly Come Dancing, with her Couple’s Choice dance featuring a period of silence earning a Bafta Award for TV’s must-see moment.

Kieron Moore

Kieron Moore stars as Liam Barlow, a computer hacker for a criminal gang who is drawn to Alison.

Moore said of his character: “Liam is a lone wolf.

“He’s an orphan from Manchester who has made his way through life under the radar, undetected.

“He’s not ecstatic with the cards he’s been dealt, and he finds everything slightly unfair.

“He wants more out of life, so he’s finally making a choice for himself and going down a dangerous path to achieve that.”

The former boxer-turned-actor, 28, is known for his role as Dimitri Belikov in Vampire Academy.

He has also starred in Masters of the Air, The Sandman, Sex Education and Emmerdale Farm.

Charlotte Ritchie

Charlotte Ritchie plays DS Ashleigh Francis, a detective with Canterbury Police.

Describing her role, she said: “She’s been a detective sergeant at Kent Canterbury police for quite a while, and confident in her job.

“She’s very instinctive and not fully by the book, but definitely not a maverick either.”

The British actress, 35, is known for playing Melissa “Oregon” Shawcross in Fresh Meat.

She has also starred in Life of Riley, Siblings, Call the Midwife, Ghosts, Dead Pixels, Granchester and You.

Andrew Buchan

Andrew Buchan is Detective Inspector James Marsh, who leads the investigation into a dangerous gang.

He said: “He’s a strong-willed, experienced DI.

“Knackered, overstretched, stubborn and driven, a bit of a closed book.

“I think work is all-consuming for him and, in terms of this investigation, he’s quite monomaniacal.”

Actor and writer Buchan, 46, is known for his roles in Broadchurch, Party Animals, The Fixer, The Crown, Industry, This England and Black Doves.

He has appeared on film in Nowhere Boy, 1946, All the Money in the World, and The Mercy.

The cast of Code of Silence also includes:

• Nathan Armarkwei Laryea as DC Ben Lawford (The Witcher, Doctor Who)
• Joe Absolom as Braden Moore/Hulk (Doc Martin, EastEnders)
• Fifi Garfield as Julie Brooks (Switch, Deaf Funny)
• Rolf Choutan as Eithan Lewis (TNT Sports)
• Beth Goddard as Helen Redman/Cruella (The Serpent Queen, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme)
• Andrew Scarborough as Joseph Holhurst/Wolf (Emmerdale Farm, Downton Abbey)
• Aaron Millard as Antony Bates
• Colin Hoult as Mark (Being Human, Life’s Too Short)
• Dedun Omole as DC Nia Caballero
• Lucinda Dryzek as DS Sara Burns (Life of Riley, Holby City)
• Frances Mayli McCann as DC Amy Fung (Shetland, Silverpoint)
• John Bishop as Ray (John Bishop’s Britain, Skins, Doctor Who)

Where is Code of Silence filmed?

Code of Silence was filmed in the Home Counties, primarily Canterbury in Kent but also St Albans in Hertfordshire and in parts of Berkshire.

Bryony Arnold, executive producer, said: “Catherine (Moulton) picked it for a couple of reasons.

“Rose’s family is from Canterbury, and we wanted somewhere that wasn’t seen on television very often, but also might have criminal undertones, because Kent has a high rate for organised criminal gang activity.

“It was challenging in that it’s quite isolated and doesn’t have the crew and infrastructure, so we shot a fair bit around the M25 as well – St Albans was quite a good fit for us to replicate Canterbury, along with various other places around Berkshire and Hertfordshire.”

When is Code of Silence on and how many episodes are there?

Code of Silence launches on ITV on Sunday 18 May at 9pm.

There are six hour-long episodes, which will air on Sunday and Mondays at 9pm across three weeks.

It will also be available to stream on ITVX.