A new 'groundbreaking' revenge thriller from the creators of Adolescence is set to land on the BBC next week.
Reunion - which airs on Monday at 9pm - is a bilingual series filmed in and around Sheffield featuring both British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English.
It is from the creators of Netflix smash hit Adolescence and was written by Sheffield-born deaf writer William Mager.
Reunion features a host of famous faces, from Bad Sisters' Anne-Marie Duff to Broadchurch's Joe Sims and EastEnders star (and Strictly winner) Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Coronation Street star Rose described the drama as 'groundbreaking' in an interview with freelance journalist Liam O'Dell.
'I think that it's groundbreaking because you've got a deaf writer, you've got deaf actors – more than one, there's a lot of them,' she said.
A new 'groundbreaking' revenge thriller from the creators of Adolescence is set to land on the BBC next week
Reunion features a host of famous faces, from Bad Sisters' Anne-Marie Duff to Broadchurch's Joe Sims and EastEnders star (and Strictly winner) Rose Ayling-Ellis
'We've even got deaf SAs [supporting artists], as well. Also, we have deaf crew – there were so many deaf crew, I've never seen that many in my life.'
The four-part drama follows the journey of recently released deaf prisoner Daniel (Matthew Gurney), who's struggling to adapt to 'normal' life after being shunned by the deaf community because of his heinous crime.
His only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly (Lara Peak), who he's not spoken to since his arrest a decade earlier.
Then there's Christine (Anne-Marie Duff), a woman desperate to track Daniel down and get to the full truth behind what he did.
Meanwhile Eddie Marsan plays Stephen Renworth, Christine's protective boyfriend, and Rose Ayling-Ellis (Summer of Rockets, As You like It) plays her daughter, Miri.
The BBC describes the drama as a 'milestone' in inclusive storytelling, while Matthew promises the script is 'electrifying'.
'Reunion is an amazing storyline and is completely different from my previous work,' Matthew said of his latest role.
'My character 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.
Reunion - which airs on Monday at 9pm - is a bilingual series filmed in and around Sheffield featuring both British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English
Coronation Street star Rose described the drama as 'groundbreaking' in an interview with freelance journalist Liam O'Dell
The four-part drama follows the journey of recently released deaf prisoner Daniel (Matthew Gurney), who's struggling to adapt to 'normal' life after being shunned by the deaf community because of his heinous crime
'It shows how deaf people react and act on screen in an honest and authentic way.
'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.'
Meanwhile Lara, who plays his daughter, said: '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.'
Then there's Christine (Anne-Marie Duff), a woman desperate to track Daniel down and get to the full truth behind what he did
'It is rare to witness a narrative where the audience is taken on a journey with a very different set of senses,' Anne-Marie said
Anne-Marie added: 'I am genuinely thrilled to be a part of this very exciting production.
'It is 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.'
