First-look at Strictly champion as they join cast of BBC revenge thriller
Strictly Come Dancing champ Rose Ayling-Ellis has taken on a new challenge with a role in the BBC's latest epic revenge thriller Reunion.
Rose, who lifted the Strictly glitterball trophy in 2021 alongside dance partner Giovanni Pernice, caused a stir on the show with a poignant dance that included a silent moment, mirroring the experience of living with deafness.
She's now set to star in Reunion, a bilingual series that will feature both British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English. The BBC have released a sneak peek at the show, which was filmed around Sheffield, showing Rose and co-stars including Anne-Marie Duff and Lara Peake.
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The drama follows Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney), a deaf man on an emotional journey to unveil the truth behind events that led to him being sent to prison. His story of revenge and redemption is made more complex as he feels trapped between two worlds; unable to integrate fully into the hearing world, while also feeling shunned by the deaf community due to his crime.
Laura Peake plays Daniel's estranged daughter who he hasn't spoken to in over a decade. Can he repair the one meaningful relationship he has left?
Anne-Marie Duff, known for roles including Shameless and Sex Education, plays Christine, a woman who is trying to find Daniel and get the truth behind his alleged crimes. Rose Ayling-Ellis will play Christine's daughter Miri.
Speaking about the show, Matthew said: “Reunion is an amazing storyline and is completely different from my previous work. My character [Daniel] Brennan is on a wildly different journey than that portrayed by normal deaf lives, this portrays a man who is hated within the deaf community. It shows how deaf people react and act on screen in an honest and authentic way."
He went on to explain the challenges of acting as a person who is deaf: "We are different to hearing actors, we are so much more visual storytellers, it's not about relying on sound it’s about using your eyes and seeing what is going on in the story."
Lara Peake added: “There's so much in Reunion that people can relate to from the relationships and storyline to what it feels like to be isolated from a community and welcomed into a community.
"To be able to watch a show that is led by deaf actors is incredible and the inclusion of sign language is not seen often enough. It's a real opportunity to learn and become fascinated and immersed in that world”.
Reunion will be made up of four 60-minute episodes and is coming soon to BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
