Silent Voices

Silent Voices is a docudrama about domestic violence in the United Kingdom written for the Community Channel by Barbara Gorna, directed by Charles Harris and produced by Paul Atherton.

It was first screened on April 25 2005 at 21:00.

In 2008 Silent Voices was released as a DVD to raise funds for the charity NCDV (National Centre for Domestic Violence).

Summary
Silent Voices is a single docudrama based on interviews conducted by the writer, with over a 100 subjects, whilst researching at a Think Tank into the Labour Government's new Domestic Violence Bill in 2004.

The real life events described were then composed onto seven fictitious characters from all walks of life performing integrated monologues directly to the camera.

Raj a 10 year old boy tells his tale of how his mother and him get away from the violence of his father and the associated attachments to a black Caribbean family as he moves from home to a refuge.

Chelsea a 13 year old girl, who loves her father and mourns the loss of her CDs and friends as her Mother drags her from Refuge to Refuge until her inevitable return home.

Jezza a 16 year old trainee hairdresser, remembers her time with her mother and father as they battled through her childhood. Her chilling realisation that her Mother was killed by her Father as she watched leaves her character coming to terms with the horror.

Bev a 19 year old prostitute and drug addict explains how she has ended in her current predicament in an attempt to escape the violence her father an RAF officer perpetrated on her mother.

Summer, 26, a successful City worker, explains how she fell in love with the man who then went on to destroy her life through bullying and violence and how she discovered how difficult it was to break free of her situation.

Michael, 40 a small time lawyer recalls his middle-class upbringing and the secrets of the violence that went on behind closed doors which resulted in his Mothers suicide.

Lucy, 38, a successful office worker who has finally found a man she can trust again, re-tells the story of how clever her boyfriend was at isolating her by his kindness and attention before she found herself alone with her child in a house that was filled with anger.

Cast and crew
It was a first time television appearance for all the cast and most of the crew.

Karina Cornell's next job was with Kenneth Brannagh in The Magic Flute.

Amanda Wright went on to do Prime Suspect and a film with Baldwin.

Vicky Taylor-Roberts sang the closing credits "Trading Metaphors" taken from her album on Wistful Records.

Make-up Artist Caroline went onto work on the remake of Brideshead Revisited.

The show was produced by Paul Atherton, while Charles Harris directed. The music was written by Damian Coldwell.