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 future of ‘excellent’ British police drama Ellis that has been compared to Vera has been confirmed

Channel 5 ‘s Ellis follows a DCI with the same name (centre), as she delves into complex investigations in the north of England with DS Harper (right) by her side

‘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.’ 

Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke (centre), 58, who last year starred in Wicked as Dulcibear, plays the lead character and is joined by Andrew Gower (right), 35

The first season, consisting of three two-hour episodes, premiered back in 2024 and was a hit with fans

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. 

Now, it has been confirmed there will be a second instalment of the detective series and filming is set to commence next month

‘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.