1 day Ago By Chloe Govan
Netflix fave Adolescence has everyone from Jeremy Clarkson to Spencer Matthews and even Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talking thanks to its gripping portrayal of teenage misogyny and violence. The hard-hitting show drew in a record-breaking 66.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched UK title ever.
Now, one of the makers of the show is set to launch another drama this week - a four-part series called Reunion. It follows the rehabilitation of a deaf man into society after he serves a lengthy prison sentence for murder. Matthew Gurney plays lead actor Daniel Brennan, who is desperate to reunite with his estranged daughter, despite being shunned by the deaf community and struggling to fit in with hearing people.
Meanwhile, BAFTA nominee Anne-Marie Duff plays Christine, the sorrowful widow seeking answers as to why Daniel killed her husband. Rose Ayling-Ellis, the former EastEnders star who won Strictly Come Dancing with Giovanni Pernice in 2021, plays Miri, Christine's daughter, and has already spoken out about her experience. She confirmed that it was "refreshing" to work on a show which will be portrayed not just in spoken English but in British Sign Language (BSL) too.
"I could really relax and be in my element," she told Digital Spy. Created and written by William Mager, a deaf writer originally from Sheffield, Rose commented on how having deaf members on the team created a unique bond. She added: "A lot of the crew everywhere were deaf actors.
"There were just so many of us, to the point where the hearing crew and the hearing people were learning so much about awareness that they had to be almost on the same level. They even started signing to each other." Here’s the brand spanking trailer for #Reunion coming soon to @BBCOne at 9pm Mon 7th April.
The series is completely unique from the house of the excellent @WarpFilms & written by the equally excellent @wlmager . We filmed in #Sheffield & hope you enjoy x pic.twitter.
com/L8gU7E9Rgu No doubt, one of the show's producers, Warp Films, will be hoping they can replicate the success they achieved with Adolescence, which stars co-creator Stephen Graham. The show has become such a ground-breaking drama that it has since been made available for free in all British schools. Last week, controversial Labour leader Keir Starmer spoke out about the Netflix show, urging that society must "prevent young boys being dragged into this whirlpool of hatred and misogyny".
He revealed he had watched the series with his teenage children, a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and was “worried” about the problems facing boys and young men. Speaking to BBC 5Live, Sir Keir said: “I do think this is something that we have to take seriously. We have to address.
We can’t shrug our shoulders at it.” Reunion begins on Monday April 7 on BBC One..
