Richard Dormer is set to reprise his role as Gerry Cliff in the fourth series of the BBC Belfast police drama Blue Lights. The actor, known for Game of Thrones and Fortitude, will return to the character who was fatally shot during a routine patrol in the first series.
Series four centres on Gerry's murder trial
The new run will focus on Gerry's murder trial, with Dormer appearing through a series of flashbacks. The storyline will uncover "a dangerous and long-buried secret that leads to chaos both inside the police and across the criminal underworld."
Reflecting on returning to the character, Richard said: "It was a weird sense of déjà vu, but surprisingly easier than I expected. I thought I was going to be nervous, but everyone was so welcoming as you would expect from this cast."
An origin story for Gerry Cliff
He added: "The biggest challenge was rediscovering who Gerry was before the audience met him in series one. He's younger and much more troubled than audiences would have seen in the first series, so it was about finding that version of him again, even down to his voice."
Richard described series four as an origin story, offering deeper insight into the character and illustrating "how Gerry is an example of how to be a good human and a really efficient cop."
Viewers' calls for closure
Co-creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson revealed that years after Gerry's death, they continue to receive complaints from viewers who felt they never received proper closure. Adam commented: "It also made sense dramatically. Enough time has passed for the criminal case to reach its conclusion, and it felt important to give that story proper closure. Plus, it meant that people might stop shouting at us in the street for killing him off!"
Andi Osho, who portrays Sandra Cliff, remarked: "I can't overstate what a popular character Gerry was. He still is and even now people ask why the writers killed him off. I think viewers feel unresolved around that and so bringing him back will hopefully give them some closure."
Richard also reflected on the response to Gerry's death, stating: "I was surprised by just how big the reaction was. I knew the scene would be powerful because I was emotional watching it when re-recording lines, before it was even finished. That spoke to the quality of the writing."
Blue Lights season four returns to BBC One on Tuesday, September 29 at 9pm.
