Latest news with #SharonDClarke
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Future of 'excellent' Channel 5 British police drama compared to acclaimed series Vera confirmed
The future of an 'excellent' British police drama that has been compared to Vera has been confirmed. Channel 5 's Ellis follows DCI Ellis, as she delves into complex investigations in the north of England with DS Harper by her side. Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke, 58, who last year starred in Wicked as Dulcibear, plays the lead character and is joined by Andrew Gower, 35. The first season, consisting of three two-hour episodes, premiered back in 2024 and was a hit with fans. It has now been confirmed there will be a second instalment of the detective series and filming is set to commence next month. Sharon, who has won three Olivier Awards, described how 'thrilled' so was to be returning as Ellis. 'The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side,' she added. 'Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in series two.' Channel 5 boss Paul Testar commented: 'Following the huge success of the first series of Ellis, we are thrilled for it to return with the brilliant Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower reprising their roles. 'We can't wait to bring the detective duo back to the 5 audience next year'. The second series is set to hit screens next year and fans raved over the first, with one leaving a review on IMDb comparing Ellis to Vera. They penned: 'If you like detectives in the style of Vera, Van der Valk, a super grumpy smart detectives with lots of quirks and sly humor, you'll like this show.... it has a lot of similarities.' While someone else on Rotten Tomatoes urged for another instalment and praised the talent: 'Multi faceted plots and some really excellent acting and casting. 'Intriguing plots. Would welcome another series. One of the better police series of recent times.' Another added: 'Excellent writing with well laid out red herrings and twists to keep audience guessing until the reveals. 'Superb acting from the leads.'; 'Fabulous writing, brilliant that each episode is individual. Excellent acting and cast. Cant wait for season 2 channel 5.' Holby City actress Sharon previously described how the 'brutal' weather conditions on set of Ellis affected her. 'I've got to be honest with you, the Belfast weather was brutal. Brutal. It continually rained. We had snow. My body couldn't cope with it,' she confessed. Reflecting on lighter moments during filming, she said: 'So on this beautiful sunny day, the scenes would go down, and Andy and I would turn the radio on and we'd sing at the top of our voices. 'And you had the radios in the car, and the crew who were in the other car could hear it. So there was like this big singalong going along the street. 'We had a lot of fun. It was an absolute pleasure, and a joy and a privilege to work with Andrew.' Full of yet more praise for her beloved co-star, she added: 'For me, the real gift of a job is when you take someone with you for life and Andrew is with me for life. That's the gift of Ellis for me, that I've come away with that friendship.' Ellis airs on Channel 5 and is available to stream on My5.
Scottish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Fate of huge Channel 5 series dubbed ‘the new Vera' revealed after ratings success
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE fate of one of Channel 5's most popular TV dramas has been revealed after being dubbed 'the new Vera'. The Sun can exclusively reveal that TV execs have handed police drama Ellis a second series. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Ellis has been handed a second series by Channel 5 Credit: Channel 5 4 The show became a runaway success Credit: Channel 5 The programme, starring Sharon D Clarke, has been greenlit with show bosses hoping to replicate the success of its first series with another edition after managing to attain 2.4 million viewers for it's first episode. Ellis was lauded as the next Vera when the show premiered shortly after Brenda Blethyn quit her long-running ITV role for good. A source told The Sun: "Ellis became a huge success for Channel 5 and everyone was over-the-moon with how well it did. "It is no surprise that bosses have rushed to recommission a brand new series and they hope it have it on the air as soon as possible." The Sun can reveal that filming will begin this month and the brand new series is expected to premiere in 2026. Leading actress Sharon D. Clarke will be back in the title role of DCI Ellis in the show which was commended for being the first black solo female-led detective series in the UK. Her right-hand man, DS Harper, played by Andrew Gower, will also be back for the second outing - set to consist of three 2-hour long episodes. Speaking about the return of the show following its critical acclaim, Sharon said: "I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis. "The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side. "Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in series two." Vera's penultimate episode sees character plunge off cliff in horrifying scenes Paul Testar, the Commissioning Editor of scripted programming at Channel 5 added: 'Following the huge success of the first series of Ellis, we are thrilled for it to return with the brilliant Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower reprising their roles. "We can't wait to bring the detective duo back to the 5 audience next year'. It'll come as great news for fans who were left begging for a second series almost immediately after the show premiered. Reaction to the show was universally positive, with one fan saying: "I think she could be up there with #Vera after a few more series." Before someone else shared: "I'm really liking #Ellis on @channel5_tv great drama gotta love a powerful woman [who] puts everyone in their place." 4 Ellis has been dubbed as the next Vera after Brenda Blethyn quit her long-running role Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Fate of huge Channel 5 series dubbed ‘the new Vera' revealed after ratings success
THE fate of one of Channel 5's most popular TV dramas has been revealed after being dubbed 'the new Vera'. The Sun can exclusively reveal that TV execs have handed police drama Ellis a second series. 4 The programme, starring Sharon D Clarke, has been greenlit with show bosses hoping to replicate the success of its first series with another edition after managing to attain 2.4 million viewers for it's first episode. Ellis was lauded as the next Vera when the show premiered shortly after Brenda Blethyn quit her long-running ITV role for good. A source told The Sun: "Ellis became a huge success for Channel 5 and everyone was over-the-moon with how well it did. "It is no surprise that bosses have rushed to recommission a brand new series and they hope it have it on the air as soon as possible." The Sun can reveal that filming will begin this month and the brand new series is expected to premiere in 2026. Leading actress Sharon D. Clarke will be back in the title role of DCI Ellis in the show which was commended for being the first black solo female-led detective series in the UK. Her right-hand man, DS Harper, played by Andrew Gower, will also be back for the second outing - set to consist of three 2-hour long episodes. Speaking about the return of the show following its critical acclaim, Sharon said: "I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis. "The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side. "Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in series two." Vera's penultimate episode sees character plunge off cliff in horrifying scenes Paul Testar, the Commissioning Editor of scripted programming at Channel 5 added: 'Following the huge success of the first series of Ellis, we are thrilled for it to return with the brilliant Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower reprising their roles. "We can't wait to bring the detective duo back to the 5 audience next year'. It'll come as great news for fans who were left begging for a second series almost immediately after the show premiered. Reaction to the show was universally positive, with one fan saying: "I think she could be up there with #Vera after a few more series." Before someone else shared: "I'm really liking #Ellis on @channel5_tv great drama gotta love a powerful woman [who] puts everyone in their place." 4 4
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Fate of huge Channel 5 series dubbed ‘the new Vera' revealed after ratings success
THE fate of one of Channel 5's most popular TV dramas has been revealed after being dubbed 'the new Vera'. The Sun can exclusively reveal that TV execs have handed police drama Ellis a second series. Advertisement 4 Ellis has been handed a second series by Channel 5 Credit: Channel 5 4 The show became a runaway success Credit: Channel 5 The programme, starring Sharon D Clarke, has been greenlit with show bosses hoping to replicate the success of its first series with another edition after managing to attain 2.4 million viewers for it's first episode. Ellis was lauded as the next Vera when the show premiered shortly after A source told The Sun: "Ellis became a huge success for Channel 5 and everyone was over-the-moon with how well it did. "It is no surprise that bosses have rushed to recommission a brand new series and they hope it have it on the air as soon as possible." Advertisement Read More on Channel 5 The Sun can reveal that filming will begin this month and the brand new series is expected to premiere in 2026. Leading actress Sharon D. Clarke will be back in the title role of DCI Ellis in the show which was commended for being the first black solo female-led detective series in the UK. Her right-hand man, DS Harper, played by Andrew Gower, will also be back for the second outing - set to consist of three 2-hour long episodes. Speaking about the return of the show following its critical acclaim, Sharon said: "I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis. Advertisement Most read in Drama "The response to the first series was overwhelming, and I am excited to continue this journey with such a talented team, especially with the wonderful Andrew Gower by my side. "Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her and Harper in series two." Vera's penultimate episode sees character plunge off cliff in horrifying scenes Paul Testar, the Commissioning Editor of scripted programming at Channel 5 added: 'Following the huge success of the first series of Ellis, we are thrilled for it to return with the brilliant Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower reprising their roles. "We can't wait to bring the detective duo back to the 5 audience next year'. Advertisement It'll come as great news for fans who were left begging for a second series almost immediately after the show premiered. Reaction to the show was universally positive, with one fan saying: "I think she could be up there with #Vera after a few more series." Before someone else shared: "I'm really liking #Ellis on @channel5_tv great drama gotta love a powerful woman [who] puts everyone in their place." 4 Ellis has been dubbed as the next Vera after Brenda Blethyn quit her long-running role Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk Advertisement 4 The new series will make its debut in 2026 and will consist of three feature-length episodes Credit: Channel 5
Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Bafta TV Awards 2025: Baffling snub for Wolf Hall — but justice for Mr Bates
OK, let's get the obvious nitpicking out of the way first. How bizarre that the superb Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light failed to pick up a single award at the Baftas. It lost out to Blue Lights for best drama, an excellent TV series but not, let's face it, as memorable or magisterial. Even more baffling, Mark Rylance wasn't nominated for best actor in his role as Thomas Cromwell. I am also slightly stunned, not that Mr Loverman won two awards, but that neither went to the wonderful Sharon D. Clarke. If you ask me, she was the best thing about this adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo's novel. Lennie James won best actor for it, and Ariyon Bakare secured best supporting actor, both of
