Ellis Series 2 hits digital on 31 March and DVD on 18 May, courtesy of Acorn Media International – and after the first series proved that British detective drama still has plenty of new ground to cover, this one arrives with serious expectations to live up to.

Three-time Olivier Award winner and BAFTA-nominated Sharon D. Clarke returns as DCI Ellis, and she remains one of the most compelling presences on British television right now. There’s a refreshing directness to the character – no tortured backstory, no obvious character flaws played for drama – just a razor-sharp detective who gets results. With DS Harper (Andrew Gower – Outlander) back alongside her, she’s once again parachuted into failing cases across the North of England, and the Northern landscapes are used to great effect throughout.

Two new cases drive the series, the suspicious death of a beloved community leader that tears open long-held local resentments, and the murder of a young woman that leads the team into darker territory, uncovering a hidden network of coercion and exploitation. From writers Paul Logue (Shetland, Vera) and Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre (Murder Is Easy), the scripts are tightly constructed and never talk down to the audience. Gritty without being grimdark – this is confident, intelligent detective drama that deserves to run for years.

Special features include a behind the scenes featurette and on set with Andrew Gower.

Ellis Series 2 is available on digital from 31 March and lands on DVD from 18 May.