BBC Announces Deaf-Led Cast for Upcoming Thriller Series ‘Reunion’

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Matthew Gurney (‘Name Me Lawand,’ ‘Theatre Ad Infinitum’), Lara Peake (‘How to Have Sex’) and Eddie Marsan (‘Back to Black’) have been cast in the BBC four-part thriller, now filming in England.

Matthew Gurney, Lara Peake.

Courtesy of Yellowbelly/Michael Shelford

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The BBC has announced their upcoming four-part series, Reunion, led by Matthew Gurney (Name Me Lawand, Theatre Ad Infinitum).

Lara Peake (How to Have Sex), Anne-Marie Duff (Bad Sisters, The Salisbury Poisonings), Eddie Marsan (Back to Black, Ray Donovan) and Rose Ayling-Ellis (Summer of Rockets, As You Like It) will also star in the thriller, made by Warp Films for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The program has started filming in and around Sheffield, the U.K., this week.

Written by Sheffield-born deaf creative William Mager, Reunion is an “emotional thriller of revenge and redemption following the journey of Daniel Brennan, a deaf man determined to right his wrongs, while unraveling the truth behind the events that led him to prison.”

The series marks a milestone in inclusive storytelling, with the majority of cast and many members of the crew being deaf or using British Sign Language (BSL), including Strictly Come Dancing winner Ayling-Ellis.

Gurney leads the cast as recently released prisoner Daniel Brennan. Brennan “embodies the struggle of a man caught between two worlds, unable to fully integrate into the hearing world and shunned by his closest friends and the wider deaf community following his heinous crime.”

His only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly, played by Peake, who he has not had any contact with since his arrest over a decade ago.

Duff stars as Christine, desperate to find Brennan and get to the truth of what he did, and Marsan as Stephen Renworth, Christine’s protective boyfriend, while Ayling-Ellis will play Miri, her daughter.

The cast will also include Stephen Collins (Dune: Part One) as Sean, Ace Mahbaz (Small World) as Ray Mokhtar, Sophie Stone (The Chelsea Detective) as Naomi Brennan, and Olive Gray (Halo) as Anna Shenford, Joe Sims (Broadchurch) as Joe Summers. Also joining the cast are Julian Peedle-Calloo (Louder Than Words) as Gardner, Cherie Gordon (Boat Story) as Tasha, Rinkoo Barpaga (You Don’t Know Me) as Vinay, James Joseph Boyle as Matthew, Duffy (Small World) as David, Joanne Harrison as Brennan’s mum, and David Hirshman (Signs of an Affair) as Brennan’s dad.

Gurney said: “William’s scripts are electrifying and it’s a privilege to bring Brennan to life in this gripping tale of revenge, redemption and reconciliation.”

Duff 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 honored to be rubbing shoulders with them”.

Reunion is created and written by William Mager. The series is directed by Luke Snellin (One Day, Wanderlust), with Helen Ostler (The Last Kingdom, Crime) as producer, and Siobhan Morgan (Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks) as associate producer.

Mark Herbert and Gwen Gorst are executive producers for Warp Films, alongside series writer William Mager, with Rebecca Ferguson and Jo McClellan for the BBC. BBC Studios will distribute the series internationally.

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