"It's so exciting when shows like this get funded and get commissioned," she said of the ITV series, which was written by Catherine Moulton, who's partially Deaf, and stars Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is also Deaf.
"I think that's something that the UK does really beautifully, these specific, quite authored, personal shows," added Ritchie. "We have had such an amazing legacy of people writing from experience and a specific vision. I had some American friends I was talking to saying they really love that about the UK, that they feel like there is still an industry for this kind of authentic storytelling.
Through Alison's impeccable lip-reading skills, the detectives are able to uncover crucial information from the gang, which is communicated via text on screen. But the words are initially jumbled up while Alison attempts to work out what's being said, which means viewers are also forced to wait for the reveal, a detail which Ritchie appreciated.
"I think it's really interesting to get the audience to have a taste of what it feels like to not be fully informed and to be slightly on the periphery of a conversation and not know the whole story straight away," she said.
Ayling-Ellis described lip-reading as "a puzzle" during a press Q&A.
"So that's how lip-reading works. But it goes so fast in your head, sometimes you don't think about it. I've been doing it all my life, so it’s never something that I think about. It's automatic. But to put it on a screen, that’s the challenge as well. So it's like a balance of yes, we want to make it authentic, but at the same time, we are creating drama and we're creating entertainment.
Rose Ayling-Ellis on Code of Silence and how "a lot of coffee" helped with intense Doctor Who roleRose Ayling-Ellis's crime thriller Code of Silence confirms air date with first pics
"And it's never been done in this way before. We're the first to do it. So ironically, lip-reading is a puzzle, but it's also a puzzle working out how to put it on the screen."
"I love that they're both playing with this tension of what is too far," she explained. "For Ashleigh, there's this conundrum where she's having to check constantly: is she underestimating Alison? Or is she overestimating her? Is she making allowances for her Deafness? Or is she ignoring it? Where does she sit?
Ritchie added: "It was representation that felt needed. It's such a groundbreaking show that obviously, it goes without saying, that it felt like a really great thing to be part of."
"Recruited for a covert operation, Alison is tasked with surveilling a dangerous gang as they plot a high-stakes heist, thrusting her into a world of crime, deception, and risk like never before, [particularly] when she finds herself drawn to one of the suspects, Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore).
Code of Silence airs on ITV1 and ITVX from Sunday 18th May 2025.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ghosts's Charlotte Ritchie opens up on uniqueness of deaf-led thriller Code of Silence )
Also on site :