Ellis creator points out 'problem' everyone missed with Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders returns to TV

Ellis' lead writer has revealed what the 'problem' is with other detective shows like Death In Paradise and Midsomer Murders.

The Channel 5 drama stars Sharon D Clarke in the titular role of DCI Ellis, who is sent to various towns to help them with their failing investigations. The first case she is sent to is to help locate a missing person called Maggie after Rowan, the last person she was seen with was murdered.

Now lead writer Sian Ejiwunmi-Lee Berre has opened up about why she thinks Ellis stands out - and why it is so different to the likes of Death In Paradise, Midsomer Murders and Inspector Morse.

She said: "A lot of big detective shows are very site-specific. Whether it’s Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders, or even Inspector Morse, it’s about the place. This is about her.

"And she brings her very specific understanding of how people work to wherever she goes; her mantra is that everything is made different by love, fear, hate, or anger, and she digs into the character of a town. So, the changing character in each episode is the town – and obviously the people in it – but the town itself has a particular flaw."

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DCI Ellis and DS Harper lead the investigations (Image: Channel 5)

She explained: "Most police dramas operate around the station where they have their colleagues and their routines, whatever they are, but they have their community.

"For Ellis and Harper, it’s just them. And they work with the police station, but they’re always working with different people."

Sharon revealed why she signed up for the programme, explaining how she wants to elevate, inspire and educate with the show.

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The first episode focuses on a missing girl (Image: Channel 5) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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"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 said.

"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."

She added: "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."

*Ellis airs on Channel 5 and My5.