EastEnders' Rose Ayling-Ellis on 'rude' sign language words she refused to teach co-stars

On the set of ITV's fresh crime thriller, , a novel 'word of the day' in British Sign Language (BSL) became a regular learning moment for the cast and crew.

and her cast members hope that Code Of Silence will mark the beginning of a new chapter for diversity on British TV screens, coupled with delivering a thrilling six-part drama.

However, Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf, laid down some basic rules: "I really tried to avoid teaching rude words because often that's the only one people remember, and they don't remember anything else."

The former actress firmly added: "So [I told them] 'You can only learn your rude words when you learn more useful ones!'"

READ MORE:

The actress, famed for portraying Frankie on EastEnders from 2020-2022, Ayling-Ellis steps into the spotlight for Code Of Silence, fronting the story as Alison Brooks – a deaf woman whose prowess in lip-reading is discovered while she works at a police canteen. Starring alongside her is Stockport's own , 46, as DI James Marsh, and Charlotte Ritchie, 35, known for Ghosts and You, plays DS Ashleigh Francis.

Together, they enlist Alison's unique skills to observe a high-risk criminal gang, but what begins as a discreet operation spirals into a tense and demanding situation.

Buchan described learning BSL words of the day as "magnificent" and was captivated by the concept of lip-reading. However, he soon discovered that the tasks given to Alison in the show are "unfathomable and farcical", a stark contrast to the reality of professional forensic lip-readers who are "highly sought after by law enforcement. They spend hours analysing video after video of CCTV footage trying to catch killers, rapists", he explained.

He pointed out that Alison is "in no way experienced to do this" and his character, Marsh, is a "very blunt, monomaniacal, driven, impatient," boss, taking a huge gamble by "enlisting the help of this complete wildcard who could derail the whole thing". Buchan enthused that working on the show was "definitely one of the most enlightening, fantastic jobs I've ever done, without question".

The series is the brainchild of Charlotte Moulton (Baptiste, Hijack), who brings her own experiences with lip-reading and hearing loss to the table, and for lead actress Charlotte Ritchie, the emphasis on clear communication made the set an absolute pleasure to work on.

"TV sets can be a bit fast paced, can get a bit impersonal and you can rush past people in the morning and maybe not take the time to communicate and check in," Ritchie says.

She continues: "With this production, there was such an emphasis on really looking at people, really making sure that people had understood and I think the more that that's possible, the nicer the set feels, and the more people are able to take a breath to work in a way that feels expansive – it just puts communication right at the forefront."

Moulton attributes this positive atmosphere largely to Ayling-Ellis. "Rose did a really amazing job – because she didn't have to – but she made so much space for everybody to do that and I really noticed there were crew members, who will remain nameless, who maybe in the morning [would walk past] and you would be like, 'Hello!' and by the end of the shoot, they were like, 'Good morning,'" she describes.

"A lot of people assume that communication is just listening and speaking, but there's so much depth to communication," remarks Ayling-Ellis, who captured the nation's heart with her performance on Strictly to complete silence, a poignant tribute to the deaf community.

The actress has emerged as an icon for a community often overlooked in TV and film, yet acknowledges the immense pressure that accompanies such a role.

"I've learnt how to balance that pressure and I tell myself I can't represent everyone, it's impossible. I can't represent all deaf people because all deaf people are different and it's not on me to show that on TV," Ayling-Ellis, who received an MBE for her contributions to the deaf community, explains.

"It's the industry that needs to cast more diversity of deaf people and that's not on me, so I've cut that pressure off me. I can only do what I can and do my best, and just do what I love and enjoy it and be passionate about it.

"The pressure is always going to be there," she continues, "but I hope we see more deaf people on screen."

Viewers can expect Code Of Silence to hit their screens on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player come Sunday, May 18.