As a seasoned star of stage and screen, chances are by now you’ve seen Sian Brooke in action.
The Welsh actress, 44, has become a familiar face in recent years after appearing in dramas such as The Moorside, Doctor Foster and House Of The Dragon.
Yet her latest role has the potential to take her from recognisable face to household name, as the star of BBC’s gritty Belfast police drama, Blue Lights.
It follows the long line of crime shows she has found herself in, with roles in A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders and New Tricks among others.
Yet it’s hardly surprising that she’s gravitated towards police dramas as the daughter of a former officer.
Speaking to The Sunday Post, Sian revealed that that her father’s work in the police changed her approach to the character, explaining: ‘It’s why I felt such an affinity with the role and that world.
‘It was nice to portray the human aspect of a job which has such high levels of responsibility. It’s a real person – a mum or a dad or a husband or a wife – trying to do their best.
‘I was able to speak to my dad about it – I’d spoken to him about his career anyway, but this provided another level of understanding and opened new conversations.
‘After watching it, he’s remembered other things which have led to lots more conversations.’
Written by the team behind Novichok drama The Salisbury Poisonings, Blue Lights stars Sian as Grace, a single mother and ex-social worker who’s decided to switch careers in mid-life.
Now a probationary cop, she’s frequently out of her depth and finds herself in unexpected danger as she attempts to keep order in post-Troubles Belfast.
Last year the BBC drama was a sleeper hit, with hordes of fans now eagerly awaiting the season two premiere.
For Sian, it’s been a rare chance to work on a long-term character study, given a third and fourth series have already been commissioned.
After graduating from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2002, she began her career, like many jobbing actors, with one-off appearances in TV shows.
She gained prominence in 2017 when she starred in the fourth and final series of Sherlock as Eurus Holmes, the psychotic younger sister of Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Sian was praised by viewers for her versatility in the role and her interactions with co-star Benedict, no doubt refined from having worked with him two years prior in the Barbican’s production of Hamlet.
In 2020, she reached an international audience with her role in Apple TV+’s Trying, which is currently on its fourth season.
The following year she took on another police role, playing Cressida Dick in Stephen the mini series based on the 1993 murder of Black British teenager Stephen Lawrence.
While a small role, her part in House of the Dragon’s 2022 premiere was also memorable, with her character Queen Aemma Targaryen being subject to a brutal medieval C-section.
It is her latest role that has potential to be her true breakout role, however, with millions expected to tune in for the season two premiere.
The first season saw her character Constable Grace Ellis torn between her new policing career and her previous turn as a social worker.
Speaking about the role, Sian told The Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine last year: ‘I found it intriguing why somebody in their 40s would be mad enough to change career like that.
‘Grace is a lot braver than I am and a lot more determined. It’s quite inspiring to see a woman like that on screen.’
Sian didn’t have to look far for help in fleshing out her role, as her father was happy to help out.
She explained: ‘I asked my dad a lot about protocols. For example, how you respond on the radio if you’re following a car… he was a sort of shorthand dictionary.’
Yet as co-writer Declan Lawn pointed out: ‘Policing in Northern Ireland is different from the rest of the UK because they’ve got a gun on their hip.
‘It’s different because the danger doesn’t stop when the shift ends – they’re checking for bombs under their cars every morning.’
Sian has told how her character is much more settled this season and ‘much more experienced in the job’ but that her home life has been turned ‘upside-down’.
She told the BBC: ‘The world that Declan and Adam have created has expanded even more and you begin to understand the complexities of the crimes the characters are encountering in their day-to-day jobs.
‘The stakes are high. It will be quite explosive, moving and an authentic reflection of some parts of present-day Belfast, but audiences can still expect those comedy beats alongside the serious side of the story.’
As for Sian’s personal life, she is married to actor and director Bill Buckhurst, and they have sons, Archie, nine, and Ben, 11.
Fans may recognise Bill from his stint as the spy Ronson in James Bond movie Skyfall and his 2010 role of Walford High School’s head teacher Mr Allcock in EastEnders.
He also spends time behind the camera and on stage, previously directing Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Saunders in Sister Act The Musical.
In 2018, Sian praised her ‘brilliant’ husband as she lamented the gender stereotypes with motherhood.
She explained: ‘He’s brilliant — we share everything. You just have to make it work, by hook or by crook.
‘But I still feels it’s looked upon that as a woman it’s your responsibility. It’s infuriating. We’re meant to be superwomen, with these great jobs, but we’re also meant to do what did before.’
While her children are now much older, she is still dealing with juggling work and motherhood, especially given Blue Lights requires her to spend four months in Northern Ireland shooting.
‘Being away is the hardest part,’ she told The Sunday Times.
‘I love the job, it’s such a wonderful thing to work on with brilliant people. But the hardest part is that it just so happens to be a plane ride away.’
As for how she and Bill manage their hectic schedules, she confessed: ‘Between us [our life] is a bit of a mish-mash. But it all works itself out and we haven’t totally messed up our kids so far.’
Blue Lights season two launches on Monday, 15 April at 9pm on BBC One.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
