Reunion stars Anne-Marie Duff and Rose Ayling-Ellis reveal why their new thriller is 'revolutionary'

Rose Ayling-Ellis in a black dress as Miri and Anne-Marie Duff in a blue dress as Christine look shocked in Reunion.
Reunion brings shocks for Miri (Rose Ayling-Ellis) and her mum Christine (Anne-Marie Duff). (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films)

Reunion examines the fallout after a deaf man is released from prison following a shocking murder.

The groundbreaking four-part bilingual BBC One drama, airing this month and penned by deaf writer William Mager, features deaf and hearing cast and crew, and combines spoken English, British sign language (BSL) and subtitles.

As it begins, Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney) has served a decade in jail for inexplicably killing his friend, Ray (Ace Mahbaz). Once he is out, Brennan tries to reconnect with estranged daughter Carly (Rivals' Lara Peake), but he also embarks on a vengeful mission to expose the truth about the past by trying to trace a mysterious old face at a reunion for his former deaf school.

Meanwhile, Ray’s widow, Christine (Bad Sisters' Anne-Marie Duff) and her deaf daughter, Miri (EastEnders' Rose Ayling-Ellis) are horrified that Brennan is free. And despite the concerns of her protective new boyfriend, ex-cop Stephen Renworth (The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe's Eddie Marsan), Christine needs to know what led Brennan to murder Ray. But events soon spiral out of control...

Here, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Anne-Marie Duff tell What To Watch all about Reunion

Rose Ayling-Ellis as Miri sits at a dressing table in Reunion.

Miri (Rose Ayling-Ellis) needs to confront the past. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films)

Reunion is a trailblazing drama. What drew you both?

Anne-Marie Duff: “Reunion is a thrilling story! It’s human and messy. And this show feels revolutionary.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis: “For me I feel like the more we explore the deaf community, the more normal it seems, and the more people understand why we're so frustrated and the barriers that we face in life. That's what the power of TV is. It can break down a wall. That is what excites me.”

Anne-Marie Duff as Christine and Eddie Marsan as Stephen sit on some steps in Reunion.

As Christine (Anne-Marie Duff) battles for answers about her husband's murder, new boyfriend Stephen (Eddie Marsan) tries to support her. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films)

Tell us about your characters and how they feel when Brennan gets out and comes back into their lives…

Anne-Marie Duff: “Christine married into the deaf community and lost her husband Ray in a brutal way. But she and her daughter Miri are a real team. We find her beginning a new life with her boyfriend Stephen and coming out of the shadows, but then she steps on a landmine, narratively speaking, when Brennan gets out.

"They were once great friends and she's desperate for a conversation with him, because she’s had her own version of deafness, as she never heard why he did it [killed Ray], so she goes on a journey for answers. But I liked the idea that even though Christine had been traumatised, she wasn't a victim to it. ”

Rose Ayling-Ellis: “Miri’s a student and is close to her mum after losing her dad. There’s grieving over what she could have had, because it's been taken away. When Brennan gets out, it’s a shock. And although she is part of a deaf community and a hearing world, Miri can be isolated, no one tells her what’s going on. There are twists too!”

Matthew Gurney as Brennan and Lara Peake as Carly stand on a balcony in Reunion.

Trouble brews for Brennan (Matthew Gurney) and his daughter Carly (Lara Peake) when he gets out of jail. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films)

What have you enjoyed about working together?

Anne-Marie Duff: “Rose is a special soul. She’s one of my heroes! She is the most extraordinary young woman and a champion and a game-changer.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis: “And I’ve loved working with Anne-Marie – she looks similar to my real mum, which has helped. And she and Eddie Marsan are legendary, so it was amazing to be with them, it's always a privilege to act with really cool actors, and they both were so good.”

How have you found learning British Sign Language, Anne-Marie?

Anne-Marie Duff: “Learning BSL has been a privilege. I was a complete blank page but I had a brilliant teacher. There’s something delicious about signing and it feels instinctive – you get straight to the point.”

And what has it been like filming on a set with deaf and hearing cast and crew?

Anne-Marie Duff: “I’ve loved being on a bilingual set and there's been kindness and patience and no assumption of knowledge. It’s brilliant and so exciting. I'm always interested in inclusivity of any kind. We have so much to learn from each other.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis: “I’m often the only deaf actor on a set, but here, there’s a mixture of deaf and hearing people in front of and behind the camera. I'm not on my own. I’ve even seen hearing crew signing to each other – sign language benefits everybody. I want audiences to see how visual communication can be. This is history-making.”

Reunion airs on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 April and Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 April at 9pm on BBC One. All four episodes will also be available on BBC iPlayer. We will let you know about a US release if one is announced.

Caren Clark

Caren has been a journalist specializing in TV for almost two decades and is a Senior Features Writer for TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and What’s On TV magazines and she also writes for What to Watch.

Over the years, she has spent many a day in a muddy field or an on-set catering bus chatting to numerous stars on location including the likes of Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Suranne Jones, Jamie Dornan, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi as well as Hollywood actors such as Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland.

Caren will happily sit down and watch any kind of telly (well, maybe not sci-fi!), but she particularly loves period dramas like Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown and she’s also a big fan of juicy crime thrillers from Line of Duty to Poirot.

In her spare time, Caren enjoys going to the cinema and theatre or curling up with a good book.

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