Richard Dormer is returning as Gerry Cliff in series four of Blue Lights, and co-star Andi Osho says his comeback will give fans closure after his shock death in the first series.
Gerry was a pillar of Blackthorn Police and a fan favourite, strong but affable, charming but steely. His love for his wife Sandra, played by Osho, was one of the show's rare great romances. But he became the show's first casualty, shot and killed during an ambush, dying in the arms of new officer Jen.
An emotional reunion
Osho, who stars as custody sergeant Sandra, exclusively revealed new details of Gerry's 'emotional' comeback. Sandra is front and centre of series four as Mo McIntyre finally stands trial for Gerry's murder. 'It takes an emotional toll on her, that's all I can say,' Osho said.
With Gerry such a prominent part of the show again, Dormer was invited back for a special episode returning to Gerry and Sandra's origin story. 'It was amazing to reunite with Richard but also very emotional because I have been relating to that face as somebody who's dead,' Osho said.
Closure for fans
'Sandra's been in a different state of mourning since season one, so each series I'm re-processing the sadness of losing my husband, and I haven't seen Richard since then. On the sofa when we had rehearsals, I just was quite emotional with it because it's just like back from the dead. I was shocked myself by how strongly I felt, but it was brilliant.'
Osho praised Dormer's craft: 'Richard's a really fascinating actor to watch; he's so full of ideas and is constantly thinking in terms of what he can bring to the role to make that character feel real, and hopefully that will translate to the audience. He was always looking for a way to ground Gerry and make him feel real.'
His death left people incomplete, Osho said, 'and so bringing him back feels like that's given people closure because how people feel about him just has not gone away. People always still comment, "I still haven't forgiven them for Gerry."'
A new experience for Sandra
Gerry's return comes midway through the new series. Osho said it was an honour that the team trusted her with the storyline. 'But also for me, it was a new experience to play somebody falling in love. I've never done that, and… I don't think the writers were intending to be political with that, but as a Black woman of a certain age, you don't get to play things like this on British TV very often.'
'Often the roles that I play are characters who are defined by their jobs, and that's where Sandra started off, but what they've done in this season is allowed me to explore what it is like to just be in a relationship, and Sandra's job as a police officer isn't the most important thing. It's this person in front of her that she thinks that she adores.'
Blue Lights returns at 9pm on BBC One.
