Ellis is the British detective drama that the genre has been crying out for
You can't overstate the significance of Ellis as a primetime police drama.
Coming out on Channel 5 and airing on Thursday nights may make some viewers think that Ellis falls into the category of 'cosy crime drama'. You know the type – the weekly cases that are made to comfort, never too gritty, with a beloved recurring cast and just enough going on to engross us for an hour or so.
But upon tucking into that first episode, you'll quickly realise that Ellis is a crime drama that should be taken seriously when stacked up against its schedule counterparts. Not only does the three-parter deliver on very topical, gritty subject matter that has some eerie real-world similarities, but the show is helmed by Sharon D Clarke, who effortlessly pours wit, enigma and emotion into her leading role.
Clarke is no stranger to the screen – or the stage, for that matter – having had notable roles as Lola Griffin in Holby City and Grace O'Brien in Doctor Who, as well as in BBC One's Mr Loverman, Lost Boys and Fairies, Showtrial and Informer.
A three-time Olivier Award winner, it's a wonder as to how it's taken so long for Clarke to helm a show, you may say. Or is it? In the current world of TV, commissioning and viewership figures, a lot has certainly been said about diversifying our on-screen content, but not as much follow-through has been achieved as many would have liked.
However, Channel 5 clearly had a vision for a Black female-led detective drama that has actually been followed through on – and, you know what? Ellis is really rather good.
Now, Ellis isn't exactly something like a CSI or Criminal Minds, and it most certainly isn't as much of an easy watch as, say, Death in Paradise or Grantchester.
In fact, we follow DCI Ellis (Clarke) as she has to crack cases related to the death of a teenager, misogyny within the police force and the pervasive nature of social media. And that's all while contending with workforces that rail against her very arrival in their often close-knit towns.
In a country that still regularly references the north-south divide, whose very political and social attitudes are starkly different the further we often get in more rural villages, having a Black detective prancing into these areas without any second glances and veiled comments wouldn't have been believable.
In fact, Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre confronts it head-on, pulling off a first meeting scene with DS Harper (Andrew Gower) that not only speaks to the microaggressions that Ellis has to contend with as an older Black woman, but also shows how she turns that sense of invisibility into an unlikely power.
Harper takes one too many seconds to realise that Ellis is actually the woman sitting with the visitor's pass on, rather than the only other person – a white woman – in the police station's waiting room, which only speaks to what Ellis has come to expect in these majority white working environments.
Having grown unfortunately used to such scenarios, we quickly learn that Ellis is always prepared and ready to jump straight into work. No breaks, time to get adjusted or even a pause for any real rest, Ellis is a fiercely dedicated character who isn't simply there to just be our hero.
In fact, her complicated nature is the very thing that is unexpectedly intriguing to witness. What life is she leaving behind on these trips? Why is she always attached to her phone? What call or text is she anticipating, and who is Ellis outside of being a DCI?
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While Ellis certainly isn't the first enigmatic detective to grace our screens, Ejiwunmi-Le Berre has crafted a lead character that doesn't fall into the stereotypical tropes of simply being a "strong Black female" character. Ellis is three-dimensional, and while she does do a stellar job at solving crimes, she is emotionally driven.
She isn't simply a figure of strength and perfection as we see her cradle her mobile for clarity, needing time to herself to reset and keeping tape around so as to fix the phone charger that's on its last legs.
Sure, she's strong in the way that she has to swallow some of the things that these small-town officers sling her way, but Ellis is as complicated as the rest of us, making such a lead character relatable to many.
Even so, Ellis really doesn't take any BS, and often picks up on tells and clues before her counterparts. It's because of this demand for better that Harper is instantly drawn to her, wanting to match her intelligence and expertise in his own work. Within their endearing partnership, we are provided with some 'cosier' moments as the pair learn more about one another and come to be like a mentor and student at times.
The very fact that it's 2024 and Ellis is the first Black female lead detective on British TV should be embarrassing for everyone in the industry, especially given how many police dramas get commissioned and churned out a year in this country, one that has an insatiable appetite for the genre.
From her sharp observational skills, quiet humour, patois and even the inclusion of some Jamaican overproof white rum, Ellis marks something major not just for Channel 5 but for television in general. Importance aside, the three-part series packs the twists, stays fresh with a changing guest cast and locations, and delves into cases that are more topical than others.
No matter your thoughts on the subject matter, if there's one thing that the UK know how to produce in spades, it's a police drama. So, to have Ellis now part of that age-old canon of TV shows is downright refreshing and needed. While we'd all wish it wasn't the first of its kind, there's no overstating just how significant and special Ellis is.
Ellis continues next Thursday 7th November at 9pm on Channel 5.
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