Ellis: Series One – DVD Review

By Karl Hornsey

Even in the packed genre of crime drama series, something can still come along that’s just that little bit different, intriguing, original and worthy of attention. Just such a thing seems to have happened with Ellis, the latest production by Acorn Media that hit the screens with the first three episodes, which have been received with acclaim and a clamouring for more. The fact that a second series has yet to be confirmed may well be adding to the desire for more, but it seems only a matter of time before that announcement is forthcoming.

The Ellis of the title refers to DCI Ellis, played by Sharon D Clarke, whose role is to solve a series of troubled murder and missing persons investigations, alongside her new partner DS Harper (Andrew Gower), at various locations across the north of England. The three feature-length episodes are filmed in Northern Ireland and the remoteness of some of the locations certainly feeds into the feel of the series, which is a fascinating one to try to pigeonhole. The cases themselves are complex and demanding, hence why they’ve yet to be solved, and there’s a certain seriousness about what we’re watching, but with added injections of humour and a quality script that prevent things from getting too morose.

“Sense of togetherness”

Clarke and Gower spark off each other very nicely and there’s a real sense of togetherness about them, rather than the oft-used mismatched pairing set-up that has been seemingly done to death. It should also perhaps come as little surprise that this series has something about it, written as it is by Paul Logue, whose back catalogue of the likes of Vera, Shetland, Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders and DCI Banks is the envy of many.

The placing of such a strong character as Ellis right at the heart of the series is the thing that really makes this tick. Clarke’s portrayal is one that gradually reveals more of Ellis’s back story and the fact that she is a black woman in a position of some seniority is pivotal. There are some serious issues tackled here, yet in a very natural way, not simply as some sort of tick-boxing exercise to make sure that modern points of interest are given some token attention. That the character development aids the plot rather than hinders it shows how well this series has been put together, and the demand for a second (at least) series will surely soon be answered.

Ellis: Series One is released on 2-disc DVD by Acorn Media International