'Inspector Ellis' Sets Early November Release Date on Acorn
Andrew Gower as DS Harper, Sharon D. Ellis as DCI Ellis in 'Inspector Ellis'
C5/Acorn TV
Acorn TV and Channel 5 have finally set a release date for the first season of Inspector Ellis, or Ellis, as it's called in the U.K. (American TV has a tradition of adding the "Inspector" to these sorts of show titles; think ITV's Morse and Lewis, which here ran on PBS as Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis.) Channel 5 will debut the series first, with the first episode arriving at the close of October and Acorn TV following a few days later at the beginning of November 2024.
The series stars Sharon D Clarke (Doctor Who) as the titular detective, whose job is a bit like an itinerant freelancer. She travels from county to county where unsolved murders have the local station stumped, witnesses are too scared to talk, or the station is simply too understaffed to handle, and tease out the truth from those who would prefer it stay buried. Clarke will be joined by co-star Andrew Gower (Miss Scarlet), who plays her bagman and fellow traveling bobby, DS Chet Harper. Ellis' loyal second in command, his duties range from buttering up the right people to smoothing the feathers ruffled by Ellis' arrival.
The series' first season, which runs three feature-length episodes, is a mystery-of-the-week style show (not unlike Van der Valk), which will feature Ellis and Harper arriving in different towns every week to figure out what's gone wrong with solving the case this time.
Here is the series synopsis:
DCI Ellis is a tenacious cop who is parachuted into failing investigations. Each two-hour episode sees Ellis—accompanied by her right-hand man, DS Harper—arrive at a different police station, where she must win over the local detectives and immerse herself in the cases she has come to solve. As a Black female cop, Ellis is used to being dismissed and overlooked, but she is a first-class murder detective with a determination for justice and a deep well of compassion for those who need it.
Clarke and Gower will be joined by series regulars Beau Gadsdon (A Gentleman in Moscow), Allison Harding (Nova Jones), and newcomer Daire Scully. Each episode will feature a roster of guest stars forming the ensemble found at each precinct, including Jonathan Harden (World on Fire), Josh Bolt (Last Tango in Halifax), Amanda Drew (The Outlaws), Tim Dutton (Poldark), Aoibheann McCann (Clean Sweep), Sam Marks (Endeavour), Charlotte McCurry (Dalgliesh), and Kristen Foster (Litvinenko).
Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and Paul Logue penned Ellis' three feature-length episodes, and directors Nick Hurran and Andy & Ryan Tohill split helming duties. Catherine Mackin, Bea Tammer, Michele Buck, and Lucy Raffety executive produce the series. Chris Martin is producer.
Ellis will premiere on Channel 5 on Thursday, October 31, and follow on Acorn TV on Monday, November 4. The series will air and stream weekly on Acorn TV through Monday, November 18, 2024.
