The Silence (2010 drama)
Encyclopedia
The Silence is a BBC One
4-part prime-time crime thriller/family drama about a deaf
girl who witnesses a murder, first broadcast between 12–15 July 2010. The drama stars deaf actress Genevieve Barr
(in her first major role following her successful screen debut in Channel 4
's The Amazing Dermot), alongside Dervla Kirwan
, Gina McKee
, Hugh Bonneville
and Douglas Henshall
. It was directed by Dearbhla Walsh
.
, south-western England
. The plot centres around Amelia, portrayed by Genevieve Barr
, an eighteen-year-old struggling to integrate into a hearing world following cochlear implant
ation, who witnesses the murder of a police officer. The subsequent investigation unravels a net of police corruption.
DCI
Jim Edwards (Henshall
) is investigating a gang execution, and invites Amelia, his niece, to stay with him for respite
and to help her to hear using her recent implant. Amelia has overprotective parents, Anne and Chris (McKee
and Bonneville
), and relishes the chance to party with her cousins Tom, Joel and Sophie (Ferrier, Kane and Oldfield). While there, Amelia witnesses the murder of Jane Shilladay (O'Grady), a policewoman who works for the domestic violence unit and is romantically involved with colleague and amateur boxer Rocky (Campbell). By lip-reading CCTV footage, Amelia provides Edwards with a link between the two apparently unrelated murders, and recognises a member of the drug squad as one of the killers. He keeps her evidence and identity a secret in order to protect her, putting his career at risk, but their lives become endangered when he begins to unravel police corruption within the drug squad.
The Edwards family becomes victimised by the drugs squad, with Jim Edwards' wife Maggie (Kirwan
) being harassed by policeman Mac (Hallett), and son Tom being framed, by Mac and Rocky, for conspiracy to deal drugs along with Ely (Nevern
), Sophie's boyfriend.
, was filmed in Dublin, but set in Bristol
.
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
4-part prime-time crime thriller/family drama about a deaf
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
girl who witnesses a murder, first broadcast between 12–15 July 2010. The drama stars deaf actress Genevieve Barr
Genevieve Barr
Genevieve Louise Barr is an English actress. Born deaf, she made her major acting debut in July 2010 playing the role of a deaf teenager in the BBC One prime-time drama The Silence...
(in her first major role following her successful screen debut in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's The Amazing Dermot), alongside Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan is an Irish actress famous for roles in British television shows such as Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart...
, Gina McKee
Gina McKee
Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
, Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
and Douglas Henshall
Douglas Henshall
Douglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
. It was directed by Dearbhla Walsh
Dearbhla Walsh
Dearbhla Walsh is an Irish film and television director who has worked on drama series for several television channels in Ireland and the United Kingdom, including episodes of EastEnders, Shameless and The Tudors. She won the 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or...
.
Plot
The Silence is set in and around BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, south-western England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The plot centres around Amelia, portrayed by Genevieve Barr
Genevieve Barr
Genevieve Louise Barr is an English actress. Born deaf, she made her major acting debut in July 2010 playing the role of a deaf teenager in the BBC One prime-time drama The Silence...
, an eighteen-year-old struggling to integrate into a hearing world following cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
ation, who witnesses the murder of a police officer. The subsequent investigation unravels a net of police corruption.
DCI
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
Jim Edwards (Henshall
Douglas Henshall
Douglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
) is investigating a gang execution, and invites Amelia, his niece, to stay with him for respite
Respite care
Respite care is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home....
and to help her to hear using her recent implant. Amelia has overprotective parents, Anne and Chris (McKee
Gina McKee
Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
and Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
), and relishes the chance to party with her cousins Tom, Joel and Sophie (Ferrier, Kane and Oldfield). While there, Amelia witnesses the murder of Jane Shilladay (O'Grady), a policewoman who works for the domestic violence unit and is romantically involved with colleague and amateur boxer Rocky (Campbell). By lip-reading CCTV footage, Amelia provides Edwards with a link between the two apparently unrelated murders, and recognises a member of the drug squad as one of the killers. He keeps her evidence and identity a secret in order to protect her, putting his career at risk, but their lives become endangered when he begins to unravel police corruption within the drug squad.
The Edwards family becomes victimised by the drugs squad, with Jim Edwards' wife Maggie (Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan is an Irish actress famous for roles in British television shows such as Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart...
) being harassed by policeman Mac (Hallett), and son Tom being framed, by Mac and Rocky, for conspiracy to deal drugs along with Ely (Nevern
Nick Nevern
Nick Nevern is a British actor and director from London. Nick Nevern has a Russian mother and spent his early years in Russia before moving back to London...
), Sophie's boyfriend.
Cast
- Genevieve BarrGenevieve BarrGenevieve Louise Barr is an English actress. Born deaf, she made her major acting debut in July 2010 playing the role of a deaf teenager in the BBC One prime-time drama The Silence...
- Amelia - Gina McKeeGina McKeeGeorgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
- Anne - Hugh BonnevilleHugh BonnevilleHugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
- Chris - Douglas HenshallDouglas HenshallDouglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
- DCI Jim Edwards - Dervla KirwanDervla KirwanDervla Kirwan is an Irish actress famous for roles in British television shows such as Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart...
- Maggie Edwards - Harry Ferrier - Tom Edwards
- Tom Kane - Joel Edwards
- Rebecca Oldfield - Sophie Edwards
- Jody LathamJody LathamJody Lee Latham is an English actor, best known for his roles as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher in the British Channel 4 series Shameless, Calum McKenzie in the ITV series The Fixer, and Rob Grayson in the BBC Soap opera EastEnders....
- Roach - Rod Hallet - DCI Peter "Mac" MacKinnon
- Eimear O'Grady - Jane Shilladay
- David WestheadDavid WestheadDavid Westhead is a British actor. He is notable as having been a member of the regular cast of Criminal Justice, Life Begins, The Lakes and The Time of Your Life...
- Frank - Mark Stobbart - Lee
- Richie Campbell - Rocky
- Del SynnottDel SynnottDel Synnott is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing Froderick in Princess of Thieves and DC Alan Carter in Murphy's Law...
- Terry - Nick NevernNick NevernNick Nevern is a British actor and director from London. Nick Nevern has a Russian mother and spent his early years in Russia before moving back to London...
- Ely - Shazad LatifShazad LatifShazad Latif, is a British actor, who starred in the BBC TV series Spooks as the highly skilled technician and data analyst for Section D, Tariq Masood from series 8 to his death in series 10.-Early life:...
- Yousef - Rebecca Dunne - Issy
- Catriona Martin - Paula
- Lara Steward - Maxine
- Emmet Kirwan - Custody Officer
Production
The series, produced by Company PicturesCompany Pictures
Company Pictures is an independent British television production company which has produced drama programming for many broadcasters. Their productions have included:*drama series Wild at Heart for ITV1, written by Ashley Pharoah....
, was filmed in Dublin, but set in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.