5 and Acorn TV Confirm Second Series of Ratings Hit Ellis From Company Pictures, with Stars Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower to Return

All3Media International also uncovers global deals for the ground-breaking detective drama   

London, Tuesday 13th May 2025: Following the success of the first series, 5 and Acorn TV today announce the recommission of ground-breaking detective drama Ellis from Company Pictures, in association with All3Media International and Northern Ireland Screen.   

Having launched with over 2.4million viewers on 5 in October 2024, Ellis garnered critical acclaim for being the first black solo female-led detective series in the UK, with Sharon D Clarke (Mr Loverman, Showtrial, Lost Boys & Fairies, Rocketman), receiving praise for her portrayal of DCI Ellis – a detective fighting a system rife with flaws.   

Series two (3x120’) will once again follow the DCI, played by three-time Olivier Award winner and BAFTA nominee Sharon D Clarke, a tenacious cop who, along with her right-hand man DS Harper, played by Andrew Gower (The Winter King, Carnival Row, Outlander), is parachuted into failing investigations across the north of England.   

The second series of Ellis was ordered for 5 by Sebastian Cardwell, Head of Drama, Deputy Chief Content Officer, Paramount UK and Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Scripted, 5. Both also serve as executive producers for the series. Catherine Mackin, Managing Director of Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), commissioned the series for Acorn TV and executive produces alongside Bea Tammer, AME’s Director of Development. Executive producers for Company Pictures are CEO Michele Buck and Lucy Raffety, with producer Martin Mahon and co-producer Ana Ture. Created by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre with Paul Logue, the second series will be written by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre (Ep1), Oliver Frampton (Ep2), and Maria Ward (Ep3).   

All3Media International, co-producer and global partner on Ellis, has also revealed four continents have acquired the first series of Ellis, with partners in Europe, Australia and Asia joining 5 in the UK and Acorn TV in North America, Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, the series will air on Germany and German speaking territories on ZDF, Flemish Belgium on VRT, Sweden on SVT and the Netherlands on NPO, whilst BBC Studios has licensed the series in the Balkans and Central Eastern Europe. Throughout the rest of the world Ellis S1 will air in Australia on Nine Network, in a second window deal after Acorn’s premiere in the region, in addition to the show launching this month on Mystery Channel in Japan.   

On entering the world of Ellis again for series two, Sharon D Clarke says: "I am thrilled to return as DCI Ellis. 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. 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."   

On bringing the hit series back to 5 screens, Paul Testar, Commissioning Editor, Scripted, 5 comments: “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”.   

Acorn Media Enterprises (Acorn TV), shares: “Ellis was an instant fan-favourite for the Acorn TV audience and met with rave reviews from top critics for its elevated and smart storytelling brought to life by the incomparable Sharon D Clarke and Andrew Gower. We could not be more excited to dive in on a second season of unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat cases with this dynamic pair.”   

Michele Buck, CEO, Company Pictures (an All3Media company), adds: “I'm thrilled Ellis has been a success for 5 and Acorn TV and so happy to return for a second series, creating new and engrossing stories for fans and new audiences to watch.”   

David Swetman, SVP Content and Commercial Strategy at All3 Media International commented: “We’re delighted to reveal the first round of premium global partners bringing Company Pictures’ Ellis to an international audience. With a second season now commissioned, it’s fantastic to bring our clients and their audiences a new slate of compelling mysteries led by the enigmatic and brilliant DCI Ellis — a standout new addition to our distinct and celebrated detective lineup brought to life by an exceptional performance from Sharon D Clarke.”   

Ellis series two is set to begin filming this month and will air on 5 and Acorn TV in 2026.   

ENDS   

PRAISE FOR ELLIS S1:   

“Ellis marks something major not just for Channel 5 but for television in general” "Ellis is the British detective drama that the genre has been crying out for" – RADIO TIMES 

“Sharon D Clarke dominates proceedings as Ellis” – DAILY MAIL 

“The first black female lead in a UK TV detective series is a surly, complex figure” “I could watch her glaring down hapless plods in regional police stations all day.” – THE TIMES 

★★★★ - “Props to Channel 5 for commissioning this black female-led detective drama” “Clarke is perfectly cast as the nuanced Ellis” “Ellis and Harper’s dynamic is both fascinating and entertaining to watch, and we look forward to seeing this partnership grow” – HEAT 

★★★★★ - “Excellent series” “It’s a great concept with plenty of legs” “Highly recommended” – THE SUN   

5 VIEWING STATS FOR ELLIS S1: 

•  Ellis launched on Thursday 31st October 2024 with 2.4m/14.9%, beating BBC2 and C4. 

• Airing on a Thursday night across three weeks, Ellis averaged 2.3m/13.5%, above slot for all individuals and ABC1s 

• Viewing grew for the final episode, consolidating to 2.4m/13.9%, the most popular show on the channel across all genres in November 

•  The series reached a total of 4.3m individuals on linear, with another 2.1m in streaming 

 • The show ranked #1 on 5’s streaming platform during the month of November 2024, accounting for 13% of stream viewing   

For press enquiries please contact: 

Kate Killgour (5) | Kate.Killgour@paramount.com 

Amanda Browne (5) | Amanda.Browne@paramount.com 

Joy Phillips (Acorn TV) | Joy.Phillips@amcnetworks.com 

Lisa Vanoli (Company Pictures) | lisavanolipublicity@googlemail.com  

NOTES TO EDITORS   

About 5

5 is the home of award-winning content from the UK’s third largest commercial PSB, a culmination of the creative transformation of Channel 5 over more than a decade. 5 is part of the Paramount Global family of brands.     Through a mix of live TV channels and bingeable boxsets, the free-to-air service allows UK audiences to watch or stream the breadth of programming from Channel 5 – including Milkshake!, its dedicated preschool brand – and a wide selection from the wider Paramount family of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount+ and more.     In keeping with its PSB remit, 5 tells the story of modern Britain by reflecting the lives of people across the UK, featuring well-known faces and fresh new talent. Its programme roster spans original UK drama, premium factual, true crime, science, news & current affairs and kids’ content, which continue to attract critical acclaim.     Recent wins include BAFTA Television and RTS Awards for the documentary White Nanny, Black Child in 2024, along with a BAFTA nomination for Endurance Race to the Pole. Factual hit The Yorkshire Vet and the broadcaster’s series on air fryers also won RTS Yorkshire awards, while Michael Palin received the Radio Times Special Judges Award for his Channel 5 documentaries.    

About Acorn TV 

AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is North America’s largest streaming service specializing in premium British and international television. Acorn TV adds exclusive programming every week to a deep library of revered mysteries, dramas, and comedies – all commercial-free. Acorn TV’s recent slate is comprised of critically acclaimed commissioned and original series including popular New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder (Lucy Lawless), acclaimed Irish crime thriller Bloodlands (James Nesbitt, co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio), British crime drama Whitstable Pearl (Kerry Godliman), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines and British detective drama Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel), to name a few. Current and upcoming Acorn TV Original Series include UK detective drama Harry Wild (Jane Seymour), Signora Volpe (Emilia Fox), The Chelsea Detective (Adrian Scarborough) and many more. The above add to a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas including Jack Irish (Guy Pearce), Doc Martin (Martin Clunes), Deadwater Fell (David Tennant, Cush Jumbo), all 24 seasons of fan-favorite Midsomer Murders and highly-rated drama The Nest, among others.   “… glorious streaming service… an essential must-have” – The Hollywood Reporter “Netflix for the Anglophile” – NPR   Acorn TV is available for $8.99/month or $89.99/year. Facebook: OfficialAcornTV – Twitter: @AcornTV – Instagram: @Acorn_tv   

About Company Pictures 

Founded in 1998, All3Media owned Company Pictures has produced hundreds of hours of critically acclaimed, award-winning drama for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, WGBH, HBO, Starz and other leading broadcasters all over the world. It was the producer of triple Golden Globe award winning period drama Elizabeth starring Helen Mirren. Company Pictures’ credits include the Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall for the BBC starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, and seminal BBC dramas The Lakes, The Village, Inspector George Gently and The White Queen. Their multi award-winning drama Shameless ran for eleven series and their hugely popular teen drama Skins enjoyed a six-year run, both for Channel 4. Their much-loved long running family series Wild at Heart ran for seven years on ITV. Company Pictures continues to produce high quality, distinguished drama that attracts the best talent and global audiences including The White Princess for Starz, Series 1 of The Missing for BBC1 and Agatha Raisin for Acorn.  A re-imagined version of British detective drama Van Der Valk which is set and filmed in Amsterdam and starring Marc Warren, is currently filming Series 4, and further productions are commissioned for next year. Four series of the re-imagined version of British detective drama Van Der Valk which is set and filmed in Amsterdam starring Marc Warren, have filmed and their critically acclaimed detective drama starring Sharon D Clarke has been recommissioned for a second series on 5.   

About All3Media International 

All3Media International distributes popular, award-winning TV programmes to over 1,000 broadcasters and media platforms around the world. The company has been celebrated for producing, marketing and distributing high-quality, ground-breaking and pioneering shows to a global audience, consistently topping the Broadcast and Televisual annual Indies Surveys and receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its growth – twice. Its catalogue contains over 30,000 hours of content across all genres.   As well as Britain’s top-selling drama series MIDSOMER MURDERS, All3Media International’s quality scripted content includes FLEABAG, ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, IT'S A SIN, TRIGGER POINT, THE TOURIST, MYSTERY ROAD, VAN DER VALK and THE ENGLISH. Its non-scripted content slate includes premium factual documentaries such as WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL? and FEVER PITCH: THE RISE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE as well as various factual entertainment titles including ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU, GREAT BRITISH MENU and FOUR IN A BED. The company also represents brands featuring some of television's most beloved names including Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Gordon Ramsay, Mary Beard and Grayson Perry. All3Media International’s celebrated formats include THE TRAITORS, GOGGLEBOX, UNDERCOVER BOSS, THIS IS YOUR LIFE, LINGO, THE DOG HOUSE and RACE ACROSS THE WORLD, and it also represents an extensive list of successful scripted formats including LIAR, BLOOD, CHEAT and QUEER AS FOLK.   

About Northern Ireland Screen 

Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. It is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in all its activities and projects. The organization supports the development of a dynamic and sustainable screen industry and provides opportunities for all communities to engage with and benefit from screen culture. For more information, please visit northernirelandscreen.co.uk.