The BBC has revealed first-look images for Reunion, a thriller featuring both spoken English and British Sign Language (BSL).
The four-part series follows Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney, Name Me Lawand), a man arrested over a decade ago for a crime that ostracised him from the other deaf people in his community. Now, he’s determined to atone.
Also starring are Lara Peake (Rivals) as Daniel’s estranged daughter Carly, Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters) as Christine, Eddie Marsan (Back to Black) as Christine’s boyfriend Stephen and Rose Ayling-Ellis (EastEnders) as Christine’s daughter Miri.
“Reunion is an amazing storyline and is completely different from my previous work,” said Matthew Gurney. “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. 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,” Gurney continued. “It’s about using your eyes and seeing what is going on in the story.”
All photography: BBC