People assume communication is just listening and speaking... there is so much more depth to it

ROSE AYLING-ELLIS AND HER CO-STARS DISCUSS THE JOY OF MAKING A SHOW THAT CHAMPIONS LIP READERS, WITH NEW ITV CRIME DRAMA CODE OF SILENCE. BY ELLA WALKER

- BY ELLA WALKER

The show has been created by Charlotte Moulton (Baptiste, Hijack) who has experience of lip-reading and hearing loss herself, and for star Charlotte Ritchie, the way clear communication was paramount on set made filming a real joy.

“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,” she explains.

“With this production, there was such an emphasis on really looking at people, really making sure that people had understood.

“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.”

She said this feeling was largely down to Rose, who “did a really amazing job because she didn’t have to but she made so much space for everybody to do that.

“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 says.

“It was just a great example of why inclusion is so important, because it just opens you up.”