All 6 episodes of ‘landmark’ ITV thriller are available to watch now
'Absolutely brilliant.'
Viewers of ITV’s new drama Code of Silence have heaped praise on the broadcaster over the ‘incredible’ drama.
With Rose Ayling-Ellis, Charlotte Ritchie, and Andrew Buchan among the cast, the crime drama series premiered at 9pm tonight on ITV1.
Its plot follows Alison, a deaf caterer working to support herself and her mother, who is also asked by police to help lipread conversations with highly dangerous criminals.
Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner Rose, who was born deaf, takes the lead, with viewers having already lauded her performance with compliments after just one episode.
Fans have been impressed by the concept as a whole, given how text is used on screen throughout the episode to show Rose’s character working out the words she is lip-reading.
‘As somebody who lip reads because of a hearing impairment how they are visualising the working out of words and incorporating the uncertainty when some letters/sounds look the same – sooo accurate’, praised @gstevensonsport.
‘WOW! What an incredible first episode of #CodeOfSilence. Rose Ayling Ellis is fantastic and the script has been written perfectly. Loving the inclusion of BSL and subtitles to make the drama inclusive for all and raise much needed awareness within the deaf community,’ @RyanGlendenning added.
Code of Silence began on ITV1 tonight, starring Rose Ayling-Ellis and Charlotte Ritchie (Picture: ITV)‘Really impressed how #CodeOfSilence is not only an excellent drama with brilliant acting but is also spreading awareness of sign language and lip reading! Beautifully done ITV it’s about time we have more dramas like this on tv!’ @katiefreeman agreed.
‘I discovered Charlotte Ritchie through You on Netflix, and that led me to Code Of Silence- easily one of the best crime dramas I’ve seen. Rose Ayling-Ellis was made for this role. 10/10,’ @erikaxtc wrote.
But there was another element of tonight’s premiere that really got people talking, and it wasn’t during the programme itself.
Ahead of the show, ITV took to X with a special message.
Tonight’s episode of Code of Silence will feature a silent ad break, where all adverts will be signed and/or subtitled and run without sound.???? Code of Silence starts tonight at 9pm on ITV1. #CodeOfSilence
— ITV (@ITV) May 18, 2025‘Tonight’s episode of Code of Silence will feature a silent ad break, where all adverts will be signed and/or subtitled and run without sound,’ it read.
Indeed, when the adverts started airing, the sound was muted and subtitles appeared before the show resumed.
Taking to social media in astonishment, viewers said it was a ‘superb’ way of raising awareness of what life is like for those who are deaf or hearing impaired.
‘ITV turning down the sound for the adverts during #CodeOfSilence and including subtitles and interpreters is a big, big WOW!!!’, wrote @putasinghonit.
‘Bravo @ITV’, tweeted @KDCunliffe. ‘The advert break is genius. So thought provoking.’
‘Absolute genius move @ITV’, added @hkp074. ‘Great drama so far as the audience has to watch so we don’t miss anything rather than be on our phones. Rose Ayling-Ellis is superb!’
ITV aired an ad break in total silence with subtitles (Picture: ITV)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next Page@BritishBC also described the silent ad break as ‘very clever’, while @LolaSpaniel called it ‘such an effective and great idea’.
‘That was a landmark moment in British TV. The first time that a mainstream channel has shown Adverts in complete silence with BSL & Subtitles. I hope this raise much needed awareness within the deaf community through this drama and the silent ads moment’, agreed @RyanSoapKing25.
As Code of Silence continues each night this week, viewers are now flocking to ITVX to binge-watch all six episodes.
During press before Code of Silence’s release, former EastEnders star Rose admitted that it was a ‘terrifying’ challenge to take on, since it is her first lead role.
Comment nowWhat did you make of Code of Silence?Comment Now Rose, who was born deaf, was ‘terrified’ of taking on the lead role (Picture: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images) ‘I felt the pressure to represent the deaf community well’ (Picture: ITV)On what she was most excited for viewers to see, she told Country & Town House: ‘How hard lipreading is!’
‘I felt the pressure to represent the deaf community well. But I had to remind myself: this is my dream, and I’ve worked hard for it. I deserve to enjoy it too,’ she added.
The Reunion actress also spoke about being part of projects where more deaf characters feature.
‘It’s such an exciting time, and what does this mean for the future? I really hope this isn’t a one-off moment,’ she said.
‘We shouldn’t have to wait years between stories with deaf characters.’
And in an interview with Metro, Ritchie reflected: ‘I’d never played a part like DS Ashleigh, but also I knew that Rose was the lead in the show and I really, really like her, I think she’s really talented. I’d seen her work, and I just found her very inspiring.’
Code of Silence is available to stream on ITVX.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
