Meet the cast of Ellis on Channel 5

Ellis has proved to be a huge hit among fans and critics alike following its premiere at the end of last month, with many viewers praising its exploration of racial and sexist bias within the police force, as well as its star-studded cast, which is led by Mr Loverman’s Sharon D Clarke as the way as the witty and smart DCI Ellis.

Speaking about what drew her to the role, Clarke told RadioTimes.com and other press at a roundtable for the series: "I’ve never seen a Black, dark-skinned female woman in a title role in a cop show, ever. And that alone is the biggest draw for me before anything had gone in the script."

She continued: "If someone has this vision and someone wants to put that out there to the nation... I always think that, when we do what we do in our industry as actors, we should be entertaining, we should elevate, we should inspire, we should educate and we should spark debate, start some kind of conversation.

"Something like Ellis is going to do that because it's not been seen before, and so that was the draw for me, completely and utterly before I'd even seen any scripts."

Outlander’s Andrew Gower, meanwhile, appears as her sidekick, DS Harper.

In addition, as is the way with procedural dramas, each episode of Ellis features a new guest cast, with popular stars from Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Eastenders and more in the mix.

So, who stars in the new three-part series? Read on to find out more about the cast of Ellis.

Ellis cast: Full list of characters and actors in Channel 5 drama

You can find the main cast for Ellis below, but scroll on to find out more about the characters and where you may have seen the actors previously.

If you want to know more about the guest casts for each episode, scroll further to find out.

• Sharon D Clarke as DCI Ellis
• Andrew Gower as DS Chet Harper
• Allison Harding as ACC Alison Leighton

Sharon D Clarke as DCI Ellis

Who is DCI Ellis? Hailing from London, Ellis is one of the top murder detectives, and so, in order to use her expertise, she is parachuted into various towns around the Peak District in order to help find perpetrators. Often overlooked and dismissed because of her age and race, Ellis remains determined in her job and using her smarts to get to the bottom of these difficult cases.

Speaking about her role, Clarke said: "This woman has had to have a real strength of character. She has to be able to just concentrate on the case and not deal with any crap that’s happening around her. Because not only is that happening in the station, but it’s happening in life."

What else has Sharon D Clarke been in? Clarke is a three-time Olivier Award winner and is known for various stage roles, but in terms of TV, is best known for her role as Lola Griffin in Holby City and as Grace O'Brien in Doctor Who. More recently, she has starred in Lost Boys and Fairies, Showtrial and Mr Loverman. On the big screen, Clarke has starred in Rocketman, Rocks and Red, White and Royal Blue.

Allison Harding as ACC Alison Leighton

Who is ACC Alison Leighton? Ellis's boss, Alison is the one to first call on the detective to go to Hanmore in the first episode to help them in their case. She's the one who ultimately decides where Ellis should go next.

What else has Allison Harding been in? Harding has featured in Nova Jones, The Bill, London's Burning and as part of the ensemble in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Andrew Gower as DS Chet Harper

Who is DS Chet Harper? A DS in Hanmore station that Ellis meets in the first episode, Harper has always stayed in the same place around the same people – that is until he meets Ellis, and he starts to learn how to be a better detective. Together, they travel around the Peak District, but aren't always met with open arms.

Describing the relationship between Harper and Ellis, Gower says: "They don’t know how much they need each other until it becomes very obvious. I think it’s master and apprentice, but I also think they’re completely different people. We always said Harper asks the questions that Ellis doesn’t want to ask."

What else has Andrew Gower been in? Gower is known for his role as Cutler in Being Human, as Prince Charles Stuart in Outlander and as Rupert Parker in Miss Scarlet and the Duke. More recently, Gower has starred in You season 4 and Carnival Row.

Ellis episode 1 guest stars

• Freya Hannan-Mills (The Cuckoo) as Maggie Bradley - a teenage girl whose boyfriend, Rowan, is found dead and has disappeared
• Kaye Wragg (Holby City) as Linda Bradley - Maggie's mother who is working tirelessly to find her daughter
• Michael Wildman (Baby Reindeer) as Stephen Mason - Maggie's stepfather and Linda's partner who is quickly suspected by local police
• Brian Markey (Cycle) as Charles 'Carlos' Braine - a bartender at the local pub
• Chris Reilly (Industry) as DCI Jim Belmont - the local Hanmore DCI who doesn't take well to Ellis coming in to help the investigation
• Daire Scully as Rowan Edwards - the 18-year-old who is found dead and is the son of an ex-MP
• Catherine Walker (The Clinic) as Louise Edwards - an ex-MP and influential in Hanmore, Louise demands answers about her son's death
• Wayne Foskett (Game of Thrones) as Michael Edwards - Rowan's father and Louise's husband
• Tom McKay (Devils) as Eric Mercer - Beau's father who accompanies her when she's being interviewed
• Conor Sánchez (Inspector Ellis) as Aaron Kelly - one of Rowan's friends and part of his close-knit swimming team
• Beau Gadsdon (The Crown) as Amy Mercer - another of Rowan's friends and swim team members
• Tallulah Evans (White Lines) as Carrie Booth - another of Rowan's friends and swim team members
• Charlotte McCurry (Three Families) as DC Kate Trent - one of the local officers who is helping Ellis on the case
• Noa Baurain as Rain Bradley - Maggie's sister who is struggling with problems of her own
• Barry O’Connor (Irish Crime) as Peter Kelly - Aaron's father and swim team coach

Ellis episode 2 guest stars

• Sam Marks (Litvinenko) as DI Jamie Morrison - one of the local detectives who is indifferent to his fellow colleague's disappearance
• Aoibhéann McCann (Blue Lights) as DC Leah Thompson - a fellow female detective at the local station who Ellis turns to for more information
• William Travis (Where the Heart is) as Sgt Frank Landry - a local officer investigating Jenny's disappearance
• Stephanie Levi-John (The Spanish Princess) as Naomi McKeith - a friend of Jenny's who works at the local hospital
• Kirsten Foster (Rain Dogs) as CSI Christine Bennett - one of the crime scene investigators
• Jonathan Harden (Blue Lights) as Adam Reid - Jenny's husband who senses something is amiss in his wife's case
• Michael McCloskey-Ooi as Mark Reid - a local young man who has connections to the case
• Tim Dutton (The Crown) as DCI Hain - one of the other investigating officers on the case
• Paul Mallon (Derry Girls) as Tim Jones - a local conspiracy theorist
• Orla Charlton (On Home Ground) as Carla Duffy - an influential figure in the local area
• Fionn Ó Loingsigh (Witness Number 3) as Curtis Keogh - a drug dealer in the area
• Jenny Kavanagh as Jenny Rawler - the officer at the centre of the case who has disappeared but was only days away from submitting a complaint of bullying against her colleagues

Ellis episode 3 guest stars

• Amanda Drew (EastEnders) as DCI Val Cotton - the local DCI in the village of Brindleton who surprises Ellis and Harper with a warm welcome
• Josh Bolt (Masters of the Air) as DI Archie Dent - Cotton's right-hand man who is also helping in the investigation
• Michael Simkins (The Iron Lady) as Gerry Rees-Mortimer - the father of Rachel, one of the honeymooners who disappeared
• Rina Mahoney (Mary & George) as Lydia Green - a local person who takes an interest in the disappearance case
• Charlie de Melo (Coronation Street) as Leo Braxton - a local gastro pub owner and street food businessman
• Charley Webb (Emmerdale) as Abbie Summerfield - one of Rachel's old friends who has inherited her parents' local land for motocross
• Mark Field (Culprits) as Kane Harrison - Abbie's partner who helps run their motocross business
• Harry Marcus (Poldark) as Rory Summerfield - Rachel's brother who is always on his phone
• Shanaya Rafaat (Inspector Lewis) as Soraya Mansoori
• Jade Matthew (Judy) as Rachel Hoffman - a missing local woman who was last seen with her new husband
• Tama Matheson (Heartbeat) as Oz Hoffman - the new husband of Rachel who was being introduced to her local friends when they went missing
• Richard Sherwood (Hope Street) as Alex Scanlan - an ex-boyfriend of Rachel's
• David Sterne as Foster Lang - a local old man and ex-teacher who has dementia

Ellis is available on Channel 5.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.