Charlotte Ritchie: ‘I hope my thriller has a legacy like Line of Duty’

In BBC series Ghosts, she could see the spirits of the dead. In Netflix drama You, she lived with a serial killer. But Charlotte Ritchie believes her next TV project is her most important yet.

This month, ITV is releasing a new crime thriller called Code of Silence, which follows a lip-reading sleuth called Alison (Rose Ayling-Ellis) who joins forces with DS Ashleigh Francis (Ritchie) to stop a robbery.

It’s the latest in a series of powerful projects from Ayling-Ellis putting the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community front of centre, having also done so in shows including Reunion and Doctor Who.

Speaking to Metro, Ritchie explained that she’s ‘never been part of a drama like this before’ – and hopes its legacy ends up being as enduring as the police phenomenon that is Line of Duty.

The actress found her co-star Ayling-Ellis ‘inspiring’ on set, outlining how ‘exciting’ it was to work with the former Strictly Come Dancing winner.

‘I’d never played a part like Ashleigh, but also I knew that Rose was the lead in the show and I really, really like her, I think she’s really talented. I’d seen her work, and I just found her very inspiring,’ she said.

As a nation, there’s no denying how much the UK loves a good crime drama. Take shows like Happy Valley and Line of Duty, for instance – two examples that have had a monumental influence on the genre.

Ritchie hopes Code of Silence can join this prestigious ilk.

‘I hope it has a big legacy, and I hope people take to it in the way that they have these other crime dramas,’ she shared.

She pointed out the unique perspective that Alison brings in Code of Silence by ‘bridging two worlds’, outlining how the drama ‘infuses the story with so much more than can often be the case’.

‘It’s not your straightforward crime drama. It’s about the transgression of different boundaries and people being a bit morally grey, which I find really interesting,’ she teased, adding that it’s ‘unlike dramas we’ve seen before’.

In Code of Silence, Ayling-Ellis’ character Alison is desperate to prove herself after being recruited as a lip-reader to decipher discreetly-captured conversations between a well-known gang who are planning their next robbery.

In a world in which those with disabilities are still discriminated against, underestimated, and ignored in and outside the workplace, the show represents the struggles the Deaf community faces, from a lack of consideration in everyday interactions to systematic exclusion. 

For Ritchie – who also tried her hand at British Sign Language – it was an enlightening experience that has made her reconsider how she goes about daily life on and off set. 

‘The world feels so unbelievably fast that there is something really important about taking a moment to check that everybody’s on the same page. It seems so counter to the culture, which is so fast paced, and “go, go, go”,’ she stated.

‘Something I felt on set was this sense that sometimes you can take things for granted. Say you’re a hearing person, you could just shout something across the set at somebody, and they might hear it and understand you. Now it feels a little lazy and really indirect. 

‘There’s something important and lovely about having to stop a person, make sure they’ve seen you, make sure they’ve understood you, and then you carry on.’

Ritchie expressed her gratitude to Ayling-Ellis, who guided her throughout filming to make the process as smooth as possible for both of them, and also helped her pick up tips on how to make her own actions more accessible.

It could be as simple as not being backlit when speaking to someone so you don’t obscure your face, or making sure crew members lift their heads when speaking – something she hadn’t noticed until being on the Code of Silence set.

‘It just felt like people were making more of an effort to make eye contact and say or sign, “Good morning”,’ she recalled.

And for Ayling-Ellis, for whom ‘intense constant communication can take a toll’, it was making sure that there were ‘moments to decompress’ for the EastEnders star.

Although this is Ritchie’s first time playing a detective, it’s certainly not her first tango with life-and-death scenarios on TV. 

Last month saw the fifth and final season of You come out on Netflix, in which Ritchie played the wife of serial killer Joe Goldberg, who finally got his just desserts by the end.

There was a lot of anticipation to find out how the long-running drama would end, but Ritchie was ready for a ‘mixed response’.

‘I would feel like we were living in a weird simulation if everybody unanimously agreed that that is exactly how it should have ended,’ she joked, before adding her one wish for the ending that never came true. 

‘The only thing I wish, in some ways, is that he could have finally turned the blame on himself. That he could have finally seen himself for who he was, because he’s still blaming everybody else right at the very end. I mean, he even blames the viewers. 

‘The real redemption would have come if he could actually look at himself and be aware of what he’s done for real. But he’ll never do that. He seems completely unable to change.’

In a much happier exploration of ghosts from the past, Ritchie immediately said she would reprise her role as the happily haunted Alison Cooper in BBC Ghosts, which ended in 2023, much to the devastation of fans. 

Unlike her co-star Kiell Smith-Bynoe, however, who said he would want his character to be possessed by a ghost, Ritchie was a lot less certain about any dream storylines. 

‘I’m sure [the writers] have a million ideas that are left over that never got used. So I would be fascinated to find out what they thought if that were to ever happen. I don’t know if it will, but we can always live in hope,’ she pondered.

It’s a philosophy she’s taking with her to her next role.

‘There are so many talented writers out there who have these amazing visions for characters, and I just feel lucky if I get to bring those to life. Whatever comes my way,’ she concludes.

Code of Silence airs on ITV and ITVX on May 18. 

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