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Strictly winner leaves co-star in hysterics with unusual habit
After dazzling the Strictly dancefloor and making waves in EastEnders, Rose Ayling-Ellis stars in a brand new BBC drama. But her co-star Eddie Marsan was thrown by intensity.
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Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis got on like a house on fire while filming for the BBC's latest thriller, Reunion - but one of her habits took him aback.
In the four-parter, the pair portray Stephen, an overprotective ex-detective, and Miri, a young woman who returns home from university only to find out the man who murdered her father Ray, Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney), has been released from prison. Anne-Marie Duff also joins the cast as Christine, Miriâs widowed mother, who is desperate to understand why Daniel killed her husband.
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Article continues belowBut amid the intense story, which is also set to shed a thought-provoking light on the deaf community, Rose Ayling-Ellis was always up for a laugh while filming for the show. âI love a good joke,â she says.
And Eddie Marsan admits that he was particularly struck by her intensity. âSheâs so funny,â he says. âBut whenever she communicates with you, she looks you dead in the eye - even if sheâs pulling your leg!â
The Strictly Come Dancing winner, who took part in the competition back in 2021, admits that the small size of the deaf community can be frustrating.
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But when she first read the script for BBC One's Reunion, she immediately knew who should play the lead. âIâve known Matthew Gurney for years - we did a workshop together,â she says. âWhen I read the script, all I could think about was him. I knew he would get the part.â
READ MORE:H Samuel Mother's Day sale gets shoppers watch and matching jewellery for less than ÂŁ20 eachReunion lives up to its name in more ways than one. For Rose, 30, it was a long-waited opportunity to act alongside fellow deaf performers.
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âWeâve all done acting jobs separately, but weâd never acted together,â she says. Meanwhile, for Eddie, 56, the project meant reuniting with an old friend: âI love working with Anne-Marie. Sheâs a very old friend of mine.â
For Matthew, Reunion is a career-defining moment - his first lead role in a major TV drama. But more than that, itâs a chance to flip the narrative around deaf representation.
âAs deaf people, we rarely get opportunities like this,â he says, âIâve been waiting for this for a very, very long time. Itâs about time we show what we can do.â
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But he didnât immediately warm up to Daniel. âWhen I first read the script, I wasnât sure about him,â Matthew says, âI didnât know if he was a good guy or a bad guy.â
That moral ambiguity is central to the show - Daniel isnât just an ex-con. Heâs the man who murdered Christineâs husband, Ray, tearing a whole family apart.
Despite the gravity of the role, Matthew found himself welcomed on set with open arms. âDeafness is a spectrum,â he says, âIâm a sign language actor, so from day one, it went really well. I didnât feel excluded. Itâs so easy when youâve got the right access.â An interpreter was always on hand to ensure smooth communication between cast and crew, making the bilingual set a truly inclusive space.
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One of Danielâs biggest challenges upon release is reconnecting with his daughter, Carly. Played by How to Have Sex star Lara Peake, Carly is wary of the man she barely knows.
âSheâs not welcoming,â Matthew says, âDaniel still sees her as a little girl, but sheâs grown up without him. He has to meet her for the first time again.â
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Lara, on the other hand, teases a push-pull dynamic between the two. âShe still wants to believe heâs not the monster everyone says he is, so she allows room for redemption,â she says.
Building that emotional connection on screen wasnât always easy. Their first day of filming was a baptism by fire - an intense cemetery scene. âIt was one of the most important moments in the series,â Lara says. Matthew adds: âThat was really hard because weâd only known each other for a month. But then everything fit into place. We built our relationship from there.â
Off-screen, Matthew was eager for Lara to experience the real deaf community. âWe took her to our Deaf Club to show her what itâs like to be a CODA (Child of a Deaf Adult),â he says. âSheâs been to a few events now and sheâs done really well.â
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The real turning point? A football match. âShe just instinctively tapped someone on the shoulder to get their attention,â Matthew says, âSheâs already absorbed the identity. I didnât have to tell her - she just did it.â
While Daniel seeks redemption, Christine is still searching for answers in a desperate bid to explain why Daniel killed Ray. âShe has her own version of deafness,â says Anne-Marie Duff. âShe never heard the reason why Daniel did what he did. Thereâs a vacuum she needs to fill to move forward.â
Stephen, her boyfriend and a retired detective, sees things differently. âHeâs convinced Daniel is hellbent on revenge for his time in prison,â Eddie says, âSo Stephenâs determined to protect Christine and Miri. He thinks he needs to rescue her, but what she really needs is closure.â
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Miri, on the other hand, is more forgiving than either of them. âSheâs the most isolated of all the characters,â Rose says. âShe and Christine are grieving differently. Miri was so young when she lost her dad that sheâs mostly grieving what she could have had.â
Filming Reunion was a rare experience: a fully bilingual set where hearing actors learned British Sign Language. For Rose, this was a welcome change. âIâm often the only deaf actor in the whole crew,â she says, âThis time, I didnât have to explain anything - I could sit back and let others do it.â
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Anne-Marie and Lara both embraced the challenge. âI loved watching the hearing crew catch up with the deaf crew,â Anne-Marie says, âThey were learning how to sign.â
For Eddie, the experience offered a surprising silver lining. âWe have teenage children,â he says in reference to Anne-Marie, âSo filming was decompressing.â Anne-Marie shares one 15-year-old son with ex-husband James McAvoy, while Eddie is a father-of-four.
When they werenât filming, the cast found another way to bond - at the pub. Executive producer Mark Herbert co-owns Faganâs in Sheffield, which quickly became their go-to spot and a safe space. âIt was a good place to get to know each other,â Lara says, âEveryone mingled with everyone. Definitely one of my best memories.â
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Beyond all the drama, Reunion carries a powerful message. Anne-Marie believes itâs about the importance of communication. âIt doesnât matter if you get it wrong,â she says, âWe should just try to communicate with each other.â
For Matthew, the show is a call to action for the industry. âIf there are opportunities with access, lots of us are going to thrive,â he says, âBut we havenât had that. Iâm hoping Reunion will change the game.â
Rose, who has long championed deaf representation, is hopeful but cautions. âThe progress is slow, but last year was probably the best year for the deaf community,â she says. âIâve been working non-stop, and thatâs amazing!â Her one concern? I really hope itâs not just a trend.â
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