Three-part C5 series stars Sharon D Clarke (Showtrial, Lost Boys & Fairies, Rocketman) as Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Ellis

This week alone, we have DI Ray continuing on ITV1, Ludwig on the BBC and countless others on the Freeview and digital channels and streaming services.

While some people may think there are too many police procedurals on the telly these days, another way of looking at it is that we may be in a golden age for British cop shows.

Channel 5 and Paramount want a slice of that action, and their latest effort is a three-parter which follows DCI Ellis, a tenacious cop who is parachuted into failing investigations.

Mirroring the structure of popular series like Midsomer Murders, each instalment of Ellis spans two hours and sees her arrive at a different police station where she tries to win over the local detectives and immerse herself in the cases.

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 deep compassion for those who need it.

Three-time Olivier Award winner Sharon D Clarke, who is also currently appearing in the BBC’s Mr Loverman (BBC One, Monday), leads the cast as Ellis, while her right-hand man DS Chet Harper is played Andrew Gower, who recently portrayed a different sleuth in the fourth season of Netflix drama You.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, Liverpool-born actor Gower, 34, said he was excited to team up with his illustrious co-star.

“When you talk about somebody attracting you to a project, Sharon D Clarke is an icon of theatre and on TV and musically,” she says.

“The music conversations we had during that job were just incredible. So I’ve admired her work from afar.”

Although Ellis and Harper are drafted in to work together, Gower admits there is a tricky dynamic between the pair.

“It gets off to a disastrous beginning,” he says. “It’s a great way to kick off a relationship.

“Even in episode one, the journey that Harper goes on in Ellis is the best rollercoaster – round and round, side to side.”

Ellis was filmed during the spring in Northern Ireland, with key sites including Dromore in County Down and Gracehill in County Antrim, standing in for the England’s Peak District.

Tonight’s first episode begins as 18-year-old Rowan Edwards is found dead, and DCI Ellis is called in by ACC Alison Leighton (Allison Harding) to take over the investigation.

Rowan’s girlfriend Maggie has not been seen since his death, and the police need results fast.

Not least because Rowan’s mother, an ex-MP, has doubts about the capabilities of the local force.

However, the current Senior Investigative Officer is sure he has the murderer in his sights, so is less than impressed to have been shunted off the case.

He assigns DS Chet Harper to keep an eye on Ellis, as he doesn’t trust her in the slightest.

As soon as Ellis starts to dig under the surface of the town, Hanmore, she finds that many parents know nothing about the lives of their children.

Although Ellis hasn’t even premiered yet, there is already talk of a second season.

Nevertheless, Gower appreciates that decision will depend on how successful the first three-part run proves to be in what is a crowded market of crime dramas.

“It’s all over to the audience now,” he admits. “It’s all about the audience’s response to things whether that’s music or drama, that’s who we make stuff for.

“Our great writer Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre already has ideas for season two.”