Reunion: cast, plot, first look pictures and all we know

Miri (ROSE AYLING-ELLIS) and Christine (ANNE-MARIE DUFF) in nice fancy dresses but looking down at something on the floor with shocked expressions

Anne-Marie Duff stars in Reunion (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films/Matt Squire)

Reunion is a BBC1 drama following the story of a deaf man who's determined to unravel the truth behind the events that led him to prison.

Described as an "emotional thriller of revenge and redemption", the four-part series will star Matthew Gurney, Lara Peake, Anne-Marie Duff, Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling- Ellis.

Written by deaf writer William Mager, it promises to be a milestone in inclusive storytelling, with the majority of the cast being deaf or using British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English.

"I'm genuinely thrilled to be a part of this very exciting production," says Anne-Marie Duff. "It's rare to witness a narrative where the audience is taken on a journey with a very different set of senses. It’s about our need to acknowledge each other’s truths- both inside our own families and beyond. The team is so extraordinary. I feel very honoured to be rubbing shoulders with them."

Here's everything we know about the groundbreaking show...

Carly (LARA PEAKE) with her hood up and Daniel Brennan (MATTHEW GURNEY) in a mustard coloured coat both outside an old stone building with the green countryside behind them — Carley and Daniel in Reunion. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films/Matt Squire)

Reunion release date

The four-part series is coming soon to BBC iPlayer and BBC One. As soon as we have an official release date we will update this guide.

Christine (ANNE-MARIE DUFF) and Stephen Renworth (EDDIE MARSAN) sitting on stone steps outside and wearing coats as they chat - both look sad — Christine and Stephen in Reunion. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films/Matt Squire)

Reunion plot

A statement released by the BBC reads as follows...

"Reunion is the story of recently released prisoner, Daniel Brennan. Brennan embodies the struggle of a man caught between two worlds, unable to fully integrate into the hearing world and shunned by his closest friends and the wider deaf community following his heinous crime.

"Amidst this isolation, Brennan's only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly, who he has not had any contact with since his arrest over a decade ago."

Miri (ROSE AYLING-ELLIS) sitting in a bedroom in front of a dressing table with a mirror on it, teaching sign language with a book on her lap — Rose Ayling-Ellis plays Miri. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films/Matt Squire)

Reunion cast

Matthew Gurney (Name Me Lawand, Theatre Ad Infinium, Coffee Morning Club) leads the cast as recently released prisoner Daniel Brennan.

Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters, The Salisbury Poisonings, Suffragette) will star as Christine, desperate to find Brennan and get to the truth of what he did, Eddie Marsan (Back to Black, Ray Donovan) as Stephen Renworth, Christine’s protective boyfriend, while Rose Ayling-Ellis (Summer of Rockets, As You like It, Signs of Change) will play Miri, her daughter.

The cast will also include Stephen Collins (Dune: Part One) as Sean, Ace Mahbaz (Small World) as Ray Mokhtar, Sophie Stone (The Chelsea Detective) as Naomi Brennan, Olive Gray (Halo) as Anna Shenford, Joe Sims (Broadchurch) as Joe Summers.

Other cast members include Julian Peedle-Calloo (Louder Than Words) who plays Gardner, Cherie Gordon (Boat Story) as Tasha, Rinkoo Barpaga (You Don’t Know Me) as Vinay, James Joseph Boyle as Matthew, Duffy (Small World) as David, Joanne Harrison as Brennan’s mum and David Hirshman (Signs of an Affair) as Brennan’s dad.

Producers also confirmed most of the roles will be played by actors who are deaf or use British Sign Language (BSL), news that has been welcomed by many in the deaf community.

Writer and executive producer, William Mager, says: “I wanted to address a difficult topic that’s mostly unique to the deaf community in the vehicle of a mystery thriller that educates audiences about what it’s like to be deaf, without falling into the usual tropes of ‘deep, rich and beautiful sign language’ and ‘living in a silent world’. We have an incredible wealth of deaf acting talent in this country, and I can’t wait to see what they can do.”

Christine (ANNE-MARIE DUFF) in a dark top looking sad — Anne-Marie Duff plays Christine. (Image credit: BBC/Warp Films/Matt Squire)

Reunion trailer

There's no trailer for this one yet, but we'll be sure to let you know when one lands.

Behind the scenes and more on Reunion

Filming for Reunion took place in and around Sheffield in Spring 2024 and the series was created and written by William Mager. Mager was formerly part of Scripted, a writer development scheme for writers identified through BBC's open calls and other talent searches.

The series is directed by Luke Snellin (One Day, Wanderlust) who also acts as executive producer, with Helen Ostler (The Last Kingdom, Crime) as producer, and Siobhan Morgan (Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks) as associate producer.

Mark Herbert (Four Lions, The Virtues, This is England) and Gwen Gorst (Unforgotten, A Discovery of Witches) are executive producers for Warp Films, alongside series writer William Mager, with Rebecca Ferguson and Jo McClellan for the BBC.

Reunion is supported by Screen Yorkshire and BBC Studios will distribute the series internationally.