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Rebecca Oldfield who comes from Somerset, plays Sophie:

"I'm the oldest cousin and she's finding her ground with a boyfriend the family don't like. Ely [Nick Nevern] is a DJ and a small-time drug dealer, someone you don't imagine her to go out with, so a bit of rebellion is going on. Jim [Douglas Henshall] and Maggie's [Dervla Kirwan] children are all close in age, so we play it with quite a bit of sibling rivalry.

"Working with Genevieve [Barr] has been no different, you just don't talk to her when she has her back to you as she can't hear. We don't have to make any effort, as you wouldn't talk to anyone with their back to you – that's just rude.

"It's been the nicest job as we've all bonded really, really well, which has helped the family dynamic in The Silence. It is very realistic as to how it's scripted: all manic in and out of the house. The fact is this family is loving, warm and caring, all eating at the table together – there was a lot of improvising."

Harry Ferrier, who comes from Cardiff, plays Tom:

"Tom's completely the middle child, craving attention. He is an art student and has a good social life and does get a lot of attention outside the home. As the story unfolds, he needs his dad more than ever and his dad is unable to deliver, which frustrates him a lot. I'm the eldest in my own family and I'm used and abused in my family!

"What Tom and his siblings get up to is very normal. It's what kids do: underage drinking and experimenting. Part of youth culture. There's no generation that hasn't experimented and tried things – maybe it's just more available though. It's like those shows in the Skins franchise showing that this does happen and is normal.

"It's been amazing to watch these stellar actors do their thing; it's been really beneficial to have that experience."

Seventeen-year-old Tom Kane comes from Bournemouth and was most recently seen in the series Married.Single.Other. He plays Amelia's youngest cousin, Joel:

"Joel's a proper little 'git', full of himself – a typical teenager. He loves attention and winds people up, making jokes and just annoying people.

"His deaf cousin, Amelia [Genevieve Barr] is the perfect foil to be an absolute pain and take the mick out of her accent – (which personally is not great) but, deaf politics apart, Amelia just laughs and it's accepted it's just a joke because they know each other so well. I'm the youngest in my family so understand Joel!

"Joel is 16 and too young to understand – it's going over his head. Joel just accepts his dad works a lot. He still thinks his dad is there for him. He's too involved in himself, a typical teenager. Mum is the rock that holds the family together.

"I tried on Genevieve's hearing aid which is surreal. It's an odd thing, it's like a radio that's really badly tuned: you hear everything but it's hard to focus on things. It was very interesting as it made a lot of sense."