Sian Brooke: Starring in Blue Lights has ‘given me greater respect’ for police

Blue Lights star Sian Brooke said her role in the crime drama has “given me a greater respect and understanding” for police officers.

The 46-year-old actress, who stars in the hit BBC show as officer Grace Ellis, reflected on the difficulties of the job while discussing the “bravery of the storytelling” in the upcoming season.

Speaking to media during a roundtable, Brooke discussed how her character reaches a breaking point in series four, which she said contains “lots to uncover and sink your teeth into”.

Sian Brooke stars in the hit BBC show as rookie officer constable Grace Ellis (Ian West/PA)

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Brooke said: “Everybody has a point at which they break. For Grace, I think that happens in this series.

“She’s done her detective exams, which are one of the hardest things, and she passes them.

“Then she automatically thinks, ‘I am going to get the step up, and get the reward for all the hard work’.

“But there are bigger things at play within the force, and that progression is not going to happen.”

“It’s been a brilliant surprise as an actor because of the evolution of this character,” the actress added.

Sian Brooke said her character arc this season has been a ‘brilliant surprise’ as an actor (Lauren Hurley/PA)

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Brooke explained that her character “meets her match” in new character Katie, who “whips things up on social media and within the community”, making detective constable Ellis question herself.

The actress, from Staffordshire, said: “It really knocks her, it knocks her foundations, and I think it knocks her ego.

“As the series progresses, she is extremely disillusioned.

“There’s revelations in terms of how the world truly works.

“Grace always thinks she can change people’s opinion, that she has this superpower to penetrate people’s thoughts or perspectives of the world, and actually she can’t.”

Brooke added: “I think (the new season) is about whether you decide you’re going to go along a rocky path of making a change and shaking things up, or whether you whether you comply.

“I think that it is very interesting.

“There’s lots to sort of uncover and sink your teeth into – without giving too much away.”

Sian Brooke said series four of Blue Lights has ‘lots to sort of uncover and sink your teeth into’ (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

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When asked about what her role has taught her about policing, the TV star said: “I think you have a greater understanding of the dangers that they put themselves in and the dangers they encounter on a daily basis.

“The way the job pulls them from a woman that’s hiding in a wardrobe to people that are trying to launch things at you, and then to just go home at the end of the day, and be yourself and live with that.

“What do you do with that? Do you compartmentalise it? Does it stay with you?

“I do think it’s given me a greater respect and understanding, and especially within Northern Ireland.”

Brooke also reflected on how series four of the hit programme, which is set in Belfast, sees the officers at Blackthorn police station face challenges such as political and societal unrest – which “everybody is dealing with”.

“I think the great thing Blue Lights does and has always done is in terms of the bravery of the storytelling,” Brooke added.

The upcoming series of Blue Lights will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from September 29.