Channel 5's detective drama Ellis has returned for a second season, bringing back DCI Ellis (Sharon D. Clarke) and her assistant DS Chet Harper, played by Andrew Gower. The series, which premiered in 2024, follows the duo as they assist failing police investigations across northern England. Season two sees them tackling new cases in a rural village and an industrial town, uncovering hidden resentments and exploitation.
Andrew Gower, 37, was born in Aintree, Merseyside, and attended Davenhill Primary School and Great Sankey High School. He began acting in school plays and later graduated from the Oxford School of Drama, winning the Spotlight Prize for Best Actor in 2010. His TV debut came in 2011 on ITV's Monroe, playing Dr Andrew Mullery, and he has since appeared in Being Human, Poldark, Outlander, You, and Black Mirror.
Off-screen, Gower is the lead vocalist of the Liverpool-based rock band Gustaffson, a five-piece collective. The band's debut single, The Jacaranda, features a cameo from actress Sue Johnston, who appears in the music video. Gower explained that the band's name honours his Swedish grandmother, who met his grandfather in Liverpool.
Before Gustaffson, Gower formed the Manchester-based band Emerson in 2005 with friends, playing gigs at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. The band dissolved when he prioritised drama school. Season two of Ellis airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
