Grace Ellis

Grace Ellis
Blue Lights character
First appearance	"The Code" 27 March 2023
Created by	Declan Lawn Adam Patterson
Portrayed by	Siân Brooke
In-universe information
Occupation	Social worker Police officer
Significant other	Stevie Neil
Children	Cal Ellis (son)
Nationality	English

Grace Ellis is a fictional character from the BBC police procedural drama Blue Lights, portrayed by Siân Brooke. Grace first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 27 March 2023. Created by series creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, Grace was initially introduced as one of three struggling rookie police officers at the fictional Blackthorn police station. Her storylines in the series have included her struggles as a rookie police officer, her gentler approach to policing in comparison to her colleagues, and her relations with the other officers, particularly her will-they-won't-they relationship with partner Stevie Neil (Martin McCann).

Prior to her first appearance on the series, Grace worked in social services but decided to change her career path in her 40s, becoming a police officer. According to Lawn and Patterson, her backstory was inspired by a real-life individual, with her role in the series being used to show how "the idealism that someone has butts right up against the pragmatism of policing". When Blue Lights was commissioned for a second series, Brooke promised Grace would no longer be the "wide-eyed idealist" from the first series, now having been "slightly hardened" by the job. Brooke has expressed admiration for Grace's "abundance of empathy" and how she always tries to "do the right thing". Brooke received praise for her portrayal of Grace, with Nick Hilton of The Independent saying she made for a "terrific leading lady".

Storylines

Grace is introduced as one of the three probationary police officers of the Blackthorn, a police station in Belfast, Northern Ireland, alongside Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff). She stands out among the three as she was previously a social worker, is in her 40s, and has a teenage son, Cal Ellis (Matt Carver). Grace and her training officer, Stevie Neil (Martin McCann), arrest a young man named Gordy Mackle (Dane Whyte O'Hara) after catching him speeding with a car belonging to terrorist James McIntyre (John Lynch) and inform his mother Angela (Valene Kane). Later, Grace and Stevie respond to Angela brandishing a knife in the street, with Grace managing to calm her down before Stevie arrests Angela. However, Angela is deemed out of bounds, so Grace offers her a ride home. After Annie receives a death threat and begins fearing for her mother's safety, Grace allows her to move in with her. Cal is later arrested, which he feels is racially motivated. Grace begins feeling that she can't understand her son's feelings about the arrest as he is mixed race, but she is reassured by Stevie. After coworker Gerry Cliff (Richard Dormer) is killed on duty, Grace steals footage from an MI5 officer's camera that depicts the crime, Grace convinces Gordy to testify against the McIntyre dynasty, resulting in their arrest.

A year later, Grace now lives in a new house with Annie, Cal has moved out to go to University, and she and Stevie tried a relationship, but chose to end it for their work. While investigating a report, Grace almost shoots the murderer, which leaves her shaken. She tells Stevie that he needs to stop protecting her, as she doesn't need to be protected. Later, Annie tells Grace that new colleague Shane Bradley (Frank Blake) shared an inappropriate image of them. Grace tells her to report him. When she is partnered with Shane the next day, she ignores him due to his actions, as he also allowed Tommy to be beaten the previous night. As revenge, when Shane is later attacked, Grace doesn't pepper spray the attacker. She later tries calling Cal, but he doesn't answer, causing her to miss him. Grace and Stevie are partnered again, but their car gets shot while on a job. The shooter is a young boy, Henry Thompson (Alfie Lawless), who still has the gun. Grace manages to make him drop it after a standoff, and during questioning, she is able to make him talk. She asks his mother, Mags (Seána Kerslake), about the activities of her brother, Lee (Seamus O'Hara), but she refuses as she doesn't trust the police. After riots in the streets due to Stevie pointing a gun at Henry are quelled, Grace and Stevie decide to resume their relationship.

Development

Upon the cast announcements for Blue Lights, Grace was billed as a mother of a teenager who "made the decision in her 40s to leave her steady job as a social worker to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland". It was stated that "having previously worked in social care, she straddles a fine line between the personal and professional". Joining the police force was considered "the biggest gamble of her life", especially as she was commonly making mistakes and beginning to doubt her career path. Actress Brooke added that Grace stands out amongst the other rookie officers due to not only being in her 40s, but also being a former social worker from England. Brooke added that Grace's armour against the cruel treatment given to trainee police officers in Northern Ireland was her idealism, believing that Grace's "naivety" is her strength, and praising how "Grace is on a mission to fix people", despite the mixed results in her early weeks. Brooke commented that she was "thrilled" to play Grace as she was "hooked" upon reading the scripts. She further explained that Grace's character "clicked" with her, saying that "Grace just jumped off the page and connected". In preparation to play Grace, Brooke thoroughly researched the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which included reading hundreds of articles, and speaking "at length" to police officers and social workers, research which helped her to "build" Grace's character. Brooke considered the information to be "invaluable", adding that "they gave us so many insights into what the actual day-to-day life of a serving officer is like and how it impacts upon their personal life".

Series creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson created Grace in early development after Louise Gallagher, head of Gallagher Films, had told them about a woman who "left social work in Northern Ireland to become a cop at age 41". Patterson detailed that this person "became" Grace, adding that the character was used to explore how "the idealism that someone has – somebody who essentially wants to do good in the world – butts right up against the pragmatism of policing". Brooke described Grace as someone with noble intentions, but that she is "messy and flawed", which the actress hoped would add relatability to Grace for audiences. Brooke praised writers Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson for their work on ensuring the show reflected reality. On the ITV talk show This Morning, Brooke commented that one of the key reasons she enjoyed playing Grace was because of Grace's writing, adding that Grace "knows right from wrong and follows that regardless of what happens". The actress admitted that her favourite aspect of filming the show was scenes in the police cars as "you were sat in a car that had no working functions inside and there would be a stunt driver on top speeding round corners and doing handbrake turns, which meant you could have all the fun but none of the responsibility – perfect". Brooke detailed that she had a "personal connection" to the story, as her father was in the police force for "a long time", which she commented made the world of the show feel "less alien" to her. She elaborated: "I've seen the sort of backstage of what it is to be a policeman at home. And as a daughter and seeing my dad in uniform, sometimes when you get up close to a police officer, the uniform is sort of intimidating or whatever. And with my dad, that was just like, there'd be a helmet or truncheon around or whatever". Brooke disclosed that she often asked her father for advice during filming due to his past experience. Brooke commented that she saw a lot of her father in Grace, namely comparing their similarly strong moral compasses.

Upon the renewal of Blue Lights for a second series, Brooke promised Grace would no longer be the "wide-eyed idealist" from series 1, now having been "slightly hardened" and understanding the boundaries of the job, adding that "she's all at sea now her son's at uni in Manchester". Brooke was interested in the element of Grace's son, Cal, now being out of the picture, as she deemed it an uncommon story beat. She addressed that "Grace's foundations of a home life aren't so stable and I think the job knocks her about a bit more in this series", explaining that "in the first series, she was very intent on trying to make things better and was slightly unrealistic in her ambitions. This time round, she's a little bit more realistic". Following the death of the character Gerry Cliff (Richard Dormer), Brooke revealed she was concerned Grace could be next, commenting that "you just don't know what's going to happen". Brooke was excited to play Grace again, as, in her words: "The first time round, when you're stepping into a new character, you're trying to put all the building blocks there and make sure that every little jigsaw piece is in the right place so that it lands, then the second time around you feel that the building is there, and you just need to open the door and walk in. It's less alien. You can colour in the painting that little bit more". She added that she "loved" playing Grace and believed that if she met Grace in real life, they would enjoy hanging out together. Brooke was also happy to return to Belfast to film the second series, commenting that it was an "amazing" city and that the people there are welcoming, generous, and funny. When asked how she was able to get into the role of Grace, Brooke credited writers Declan Law and Adam Patterson, detailing that: "I just thought that it was quite magical in the way that they had made a world, which I didn’t know brilliantly, so accessible because of their writing". Brooke opined that Grace's best trait was "her abundance of empathy" and how she always tries to "do the right thing", commenting that it helped Grace stick out among her other roles she had played over the years. When asked about the prospect of Grace and Stevie beginning a relationship, Brooke responded: "In series 2, they've decided to follow their heads not their hearts and concentrate on their job. But whether they're successful in that, you'll have to find out".

Reception

Gabriel Tate of The Independent praised Brooke's performance as Grace, calling it "superb", and adding that the actress "nimbly balance[d] Grace's generosity of spirit with a buried insecurity over her personal circumstances". Nick Hilton of The Independent praised the acting of the series, noting that "Brooke, in particular, is a terrific leading lady". In a review of the second series of Blue Lights, James Hibbs of Radio Times praised Grace's character, writing that she "continues to be the real heart of the series, even if she has hardened somewhat between seasons", adding that Brooke "excelled" in the role. Brooke reported in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she had spoken to many people around the world who told her that they knew someone like Grace and were able to identify with her. Rachael Sigee of iNews praised Grace's "tender will-they-won't-they" between partner Stevie, calling it "fresh". Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian praised Grace's contrast to Stevie, explaining that "[Grace] believes she can change a system that barely gets through the day, while her partner, Stevie, has a much more realistic view on what they do during a shift and what they leave behind when they go home at night", calling it – as well as the other characters in Blue Lights – "well drawn and believable". Hibbs (Radio Times) praised Grace and Stevie's "strong, entertaining dynamic" with each other. Brooke commented in a Radio Times interview that she would be a millionaire if she "had a pound for every time someone asked her: 'Are Stevie and Grace getting together'".