New crime drama Code of Silence starring Rose Ayling-Ellis premieres on ITV1 tonight (Sunday, May 18).
Set in Canterbury, the six-part series was partly filmed in Hertfordshire, with St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead among the locations used.
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the series, who stars in it, interviews with cast members, and where Code of Silence was filmed.
Who stars in Code of Silence?
Code of Silence stars former EastEnders actress and Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis in a ground-breaking lead role.
Joining Rose in an impressive ensemble cast are Kieron Moore (Vampire Academy, Masters of the Air, The Corps), Charlotte Ritchie (YOU, Ghosts) and Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch, Black Doves, The Honourable Woman).
Produced by Joseph Shrubb (Endeavour, McDonald & Dodds), the cast also includes Nathan Armarkwei Laryea (The Witcher), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, EastEnders), Beth Goddard (The Serpent Queen, Manhunt), Andrew Scarborough (Emmerdale, Wolfblood), presenter Rolf Choutan, who is making his acting debut, and Fifi Garfield (Coffee Morning Club, Deaf Funny).
Actor, comedian and presenter John Bishop also makes a cameo appearance as Ray.
What is Code of Silence about?
Written and created by Catherine Moulton, Code of Silence offers a fresh and distinctive perspective on the intersection of crime and communication.
Code of Silence is told through the point of view of Alison Brooks — played by Rose Ayling-Ellis, a smart and determined Deaf woman.
Having spent years working in a police canteen and secretly observing conversations, Alison is recruited by police for a covert operation, thrusting her into a world of crime and deception.
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At the heart of the series from production company Mammoth Screen is Alison Brooks (Rose Ayling-Ellis), a smart and determined Deaf woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when her remarkable lip-reading skills catch the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie) and DI James Marsh (Andrew Buchan).
But when she forms a dangerous bond with the gang's computer hacker Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), the risks grow greater and her true identity is put at stake.
Executive producer Catherine Moulton said: "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."
The series creator added: "I couldn’t imagine a more perfect Alison than Rose Ayling-Ellis. Rose was involved at an early stage of development and her input was invaluable. It meant that we were able to weave elements of Rose’s experiences with my own.
"We aimed to always put Alison’s Deaf experience at the heart of the story."
Of her character Alison, Rose said: "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.
"You can give a Deaf person a job in a pub and think they're going to be so grateful just to have it, but it might not be what they really want to do. I can relate to that experience.
"She feels empowered because she's doing something that the police can't even do themselves. She really comes to love that power, even if she goes too far sometimes."
Rose explains: "She works in the station canteen and, when she joined, she put down on the computer database that she was Deaf and could read lips, just to see what happened.
"When their regular lipreader isn’t available to help them take down a gang, they turn to her and, as time goes on, she wants to be more and more involved – because what has she got to lose?
"If she doesn't take that risk, then the police would probably eventually send her back to the canteen with a thank you. It gives her a purpose."
Charlotte Ritchie, who recently appeared in Netflix serial killer series YOU, was attracted to Code of Silence's story.
"I thought it was an interesting way of telling a story, with the focus being Alison's point of view.
"People love crime dramas – and a lot of them are brilliant – but this felt different and refreshing in its perspective and the themes it was dealing with.
"It's about the way we communicate, the way the world sees Deaf people and interacts with them, underestimates them and keeps them at arm's length."
So where was Code of Silence filmed?
Being set in Canterbury meant Code of Silence was obviously partly filmed in Kent. However, producers also ventured round the M25 to shoot scenes in the Home Counties in Hertfordshire and parts of Berkshire.
Rose Ayling-Ellis said: "When I found out it was going to be set in Canterbury, that got me even more excited and made me think of some of my friends from college. I put elements of that into it too, but don't tell them!"
"She reminded me of my college time in Canterbury. All my friends are very 'Canterbury culture' and we loved buying clothes from vintage shops or charity shops. I wanted that for Alison as well, getting second-hand jumpers and mix-and-match clothes.
"I also really want her to be nosey and not let things go and be a little bit moody sometimes. I'm so smiley, so I wanted Alison to be a little bit moody like I am, internally!"
Rose Ayling-Ellis was spotted in St Albans last September, with the Fade to Black coffee shop in The Quadrant, Marshalswick, used for filming.
On choosing Canterbury as the setting of the series, Code of Silence executive producer Bryony Arnold 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."
The Herts Film Office posted on Instagram that Code of Silence was "shot across various locations in Hertfordshire between September-December 2024."
These locations include Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead in the borough of Dacorum, Hatfield in Welwyn Hatfield, St Albans, and Ware in East Herts, according to Herts Film Office.
The Old Town Hall in High Street, Hemel Hempstead was one location used by producers in Dacorum.
Last October the venue posted on Instagram: "For two days only, Hemel Old Town is transformed into Canterbury as filming takes place for ITV's Code of Silence, airing next year and starring Rose Ayling-Ellis, Charlotte Ritchie, and Andrew Buchan.
"Look out for the transformation of our beloved Old Town Hall into Canterbury Local Art Museum, where we understand the shot will involve an accident taking place!"
This can be seen in the opening episode, with The Olde Kings Arms pub opposite the Old Town Hall doubling for the outside of The Canterbury Tap.
The interior of The Canterbury Tap was shot at The Garibaldi pub in St Albans.
Watford was another filming location in Hertfordshire, with producers using the town's former Shady Lane police station, which can be seen in the first episode.
In a behind-the-scenes social media post from ITV and ITVX of the cast sharing their favourite memories of filming, Code of Silence star Charlotte Ritchie mentioned shooting in Watford.
She said: "I was such a nice group of people. We just always had such a laugh and I didn’t think it would be so fun to be trapped in a room in Watford, in an ex police station.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service also reports filming took place at County Hall in Hertford.
When is Code of Silence on ITV?
The first episode of new six-part series Code of Silence will premiere on ITV1 on Sunday, May 18 at 9pm.
The second episode can be seen on ITV1 at 9pm on Monday, May 19.
All episodes are also available to stream on ITVX.
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