Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star

Award-winning actress, Sharon D Clarke, 58, has secured the starring role as DCI Ellis in Channel 5's detective drama, Ellis. Despite a successful acting career that spans over four decades, this marks the first time the star has been given a leading role.

The three-part series will chart the journey of Ellis, a determined cop who is brought into failing investigations. She will be joined by her trusted sidekick DS Harper portrayed by Andrew Gower.

Throughout the series, Ellis finds herself at different police stations, where she must gain the trust of local detectives and delve deep into the cases she is there to solve.

As a black female officer, Ellis is accustomed to being underestimated and ignored, but she is a top-tier murder detective, driven by a quest for justice and a profound empathy for those in need.

Discussing her experience working with co-star Andrew, she began by saying: "I had to do a set of chemistry reads, and Andrew was the first guy that walked through the door in the morning. And as he walked through the door, he had my heart. We did the chemistry read, and I just thought... it just lived.", reports the Mirror.

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Ellis is set to air tonight on Channel 5 (Image: Press Enquiries: press@channel5.com NOTE: Paramount images are for the use of Press outlets only. Any blogs requesting access to)

She went on to say: "It just made sense. It felt like we'd been working together for years. I was just like, "It's got to be him!

" I was so thrilled they agreed, and we got to work together. And it was an absolute delight. We are two people who adore music and spent a lot of time singing around that set, which was just such a joy."

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The actress opened up about the challenges faced during filming, revealing that the 'brutal' Belfast weather took a toll on her. She shared: "One day we were doing the low loader filming for outside scenes. It was a beautiful sunny day. 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."

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This is the first time Sharon has been cast in a leading role (Image: Channel 5)

Reflecting on lighter moments, she recounted: "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."

The star went on to express her fondness for her co-star Andrew, noting how their professional relationship blossomed into a lasting friendship. She said: "I just had the best time. In this industry we meet so many people. We have this wonderful turnover of people from all different walks of life, religions, creeds, colours."

Sharon concluded by highlighting the lasting impact of their friendship: "And for me, the real gift of a job is when you take someone with you for life. And Andrew is with me for life. And that's the gift of Ellis for me, that I've come away with that friendship."

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Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star

Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star

Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star

Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star

Channel 5 Ellis star open up on 'brutal' scenes and on-set 'chemistry' with co-star