Code of Silence is a gripping new drama landing on ITV this weekend.
The six-part series focuses on a deaf woman who is unexpectedly called in to help on a police investigation when their usual lip readers are unavailable, but soon becomes entangled in the criminal gang she’s supposed to be surveilling.
Set in Canterbury, but filmed across Hertfordshire and London, the series pushes boundaries when it comes to diversity, with it being the first time on British TV screens that a deaf character has been the lead role.
Here’s all you need to know about the latest crime drama.
What is Code of Silence about?
Sadly unconnected to the 1985 Chuck Norris actioner of the same name, Code of Silence follows Alison Brooks (Reunion’s Rose Ayling-Ellis), a smart and determined deaf woman working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Having spent years working in a police canteen and secretly observing conversations, her life takes an unexpected turn when her lip-reading skills catch the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis (You’s Charlotte Ritchie) and DI James Marsh (Andrew Buchan).
Recruited for a covert operation, Alison is tasked with surveilling a dangerous gang as they plot a high-stakes heist, catapulting her into a world of crime.
Her role quickly becomes crucial to solving the case – but everything grows more complicated when she finds herself drawn to one of the suspects.
As the drama unfolds, Alison finds herself in increasing danger, but refuses to walk away from the investigation.
Where was Code of Silence filmed?
While Code of Silence is set in Canterbury, most of the series was filmed across St Albans and Watford in Hertfordshire.
The police station scenes were filmed in Watford
The police station scenes were filmed at the recently vacated Watford police station after it closed doors in October 2023. The custody cells seen in episode six were the real ones used for criminals just months before filming took place.
However, the police station used for filming didn’t have a canteen, so scenes showing Alison working there were filmed at a nearby school while the students were on a break.
Orchard House Café doubles as the bar Alison is fired from
Alison juggles her police work with a second job at the Orchard House Café, with these scenes being filmed at The Hub on the Verulam, St Albans.
‘We wanted to avoid the series feeling bleak and sad,’ producer Joe Shrubb tells Time Out. ‘There’s so much telly that has that washed-out aesthetic and we wanted it to feel positive but also a bit aspirational, so rather than her having a job in a grim bar, we wanted this idea that it’s an opulent world but she is feeling left out serving these other people. So it was quite an upmarket place we filmed in for the cafe.’
The Garibaldi in St Albans is The Canterbury Tap where Alison works
The Canterbury Tap is the fictional pub where the criminal gang frequently meet to discuss their plans. This leads to Alison getting a job there and spending more time with Liam.
The interior of the pub was filmed at The Garibaldi in St Albans, while the exterior was shot at The Old Kings Arms in Hemel Hempstead’s Old Town district.
‘We really wanted to get that authentic look from the outside that it was in Canterbury, so Hemel Hempstead’s old Town has cobbles and that high street energy that Canterbury does,’ Shrubb explains.
The criminal gang’s meet-up is in Hemel Hempstead
Scenes in the first episode where the criminal gang meet to discuss the heist were filmed at Gadebridge Park in Hemel Hempstead.
A Hertfordshire steak restaurant is another meeting place for the gang
In episode one, Alison and Ashleigh go to a bar to carry out surveillance on the criminal gang who are meeting to discuss the heist. This scene was filmed at the Prime Steak & Grill restaurant in Berkhamsted, although it was transformed from a dining hotspot to a trendy cocktail bar.
Freemasons Hall doubles as the high-security vault
Scenes in episode two showing Liam visit the vaults that the criminals plan to steal from were filmed at London’s Freemasons Hall, near Covent Garden.
‘It’s quite a curious place but they do a lot of events there,’ Shrubb tells Time Out. ‘We filmed the big doors at the front and then inside we built a desk in the middle to make it look like that’s the vault’s reception, and then down a corridor off the back we built a big vault door which looks metal and very heavy but is actually made out of plywood.’
Bar one75 in West Hampstead is used as the nightclub
Episode two sees Alison and Liam venture into London to meet a shady acquaintance of his. The nightclub scenes were filmed at one75 bar, next to West Hampstead tube station in north London.
London’s South Bank provides the exterior of the nightclub
In a case of camera trickery, the footage of Alison and Liam entering the club were actually filmed on London’s South Bank, by the famous OXO Tower.
Tony’s Pie & Mash is where Alison and Liam go for a late night bite
Serving traditional pies and pickled eels since 1995, Tony’s restaurant in Essex is one of David Beckham’s favourite places to eat, with his family often spotted on the dining hotspot’s Instagram.
Tony’s Pie & Mash features in the second episode of Code of Silence, with Liam and Alison getting to know each other better after a night out.
Planet Ice, Milton Keynes doubles as a fictional ice rink
The flagship Planet Ice venue in Milton Keynes doubles as the fictional Denstroude Ice Centre in episode three of Code of Silence.
Producer Joe Shrubb told Time Out that the reflective shine of the ice caused complications when it came to filming the scenes, with the glare covering the actors' faces.
‘We had to hang big lights from the ceiling which was quite arduous, but otherwise it was brilliant,’ Shrubb says. ‘We could hire the whole ice rink as an event and the local team came and played ice hockey all day with us.’
Wrotham Park doubles as a swanky hotel where Alison and Liam stay
In episode four, Alison and Liam go on a romantic getaway to the swanky – but fictional – Hawthorne Estate Hotel, with Wrotham Park used as a filming location.
A stately home in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, the site worked better for the production than filming in a real hotel.
‘The amount of stuff we needed to film in there, it just would never work in a real hotel,’ Shrubb says. ‘Our fantastic production designer and his team built a reception desk, a circular bar, and decorated all the bedrooms and even had rugs made with the fake hotel logo. During post-production, the editors and people grading it never realised it wasn’t a real hotel.’
BRE Science Park was used as an A&E waiting room
The BRE Science Park is home to world-class research and testing facilities, but proved to be a handy location for the Code of Silence crew.
Not only was it used primarily as the production base, but several parts of the site were used to recreate a Hospital waiting room, a warehouse for the series finale showdown, and local parks which were actually just small pieces of grass in front of reception.
Is there a trailer for Code of Silence?
There sure is. Check out the clip below for a taste of the drama set to come.
When is Code of Silence on TV?
Code of Silence starts on ITV at 9pm on Sunday, May 18, with episode two airing on the following night. The remainder of the series will air over the next two consecutive Sunday and Monday evenings.
All episodes will be available to stream on ITVX from Sunday, May 18.
Who is in the Code of Silence cast?
Rose Ayling-Ellis takes on the lead role of Alison Brooks. The actress is best known for her time on EastEnders and winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2021.
Comedians John Bishop and Fifi Garfield play Alison’s parents Julie and Ray.
Kieron Moore (Vampire Academy) stars as Liam Barlow, a new recruit to a criminal gang who befriends Alison, with the pair growing closer as the drama intensifies.
Leading the police investigation are Charlotte Ritchie (You) as DS Ashleigh Francis, Andrew Buchan (The Crown) as DI James Marsh, and Nathan Armarkwei Laryea (The Witcher) as DC Ben Lawford.
The criminal gang include Joe Absolom (EastEnders) as Hulk, Beth Goddard (The Serpent Queen) as Cruella, and Andrew Scarborough (Emmerdale) as Wolf.
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