BBC One making British Sign Language and spoken English thriller
In new territory for the corporation, a new thriller is set to arrive on BBC One – marking a significant moment as a bilingual production in both British Sign Language and spoken English.
A new thriller is set to arrive on BBC One – marking a significant moment as a bilingual production in both British Sign Language and spoken English.
'Reunion', which has been described as “an emotional thriller of revenge and redemption”, is led by Matthew Gurney, 52, Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, and Anne-Marie Duff, 53.
The series follows Daniel Brennan, played by Gurney, “a deaf man determined to right his wrongs while unravelling the truth behind the events that led him to prison”.
Speaking about his role, Matthew said: “My character is on a wildly different journey than that portrayed by normal deaf lives,” adding that the series portrays “a man who is hated within the deaf community”.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Rose praised the actor’s leading role in the four-part series.
“I think what is really exciting for me is seeing Matthew Gurney playing a lead role,” she said.
Rose added: “And I think people’s misconception of thinking, well, how's he going to express his emotion without actually verbally stating it, whereas now you can see he has so much emotion and so much depth.
“And I think he’s going to blow a lot of people's minds by showing how human he is and how much emotion (he has.)”
Matthew echoed her remarks, stating the series would highlight “how deaf people react and act on screen in an honest and authentic way”.
He added: “We are different to hearing actors, we are so much more visual storytellers, it's not about relying on sound – it's about using your eyes and seeing what is going on in the story.”
Rose, who won 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2021 and previously starred in 'EastEnders', reflected on the sense of community within the deaf acting world.
She said: “We have such a sense of community that we all know each other, it's still like that.
“It’s funny, in the script, everyone knows who Brennan is and that he’s coming back, and in the deaf community everyone’s talking about it, everyone’s gossiping, it’s kind of the same thing with deaf actors as well.
“They were talking about the audition, and we already heard about 'Reunion' before it was announced because the deaf community was talking about it.”
