Blue Lights on BBC One: This is how you recognise actor Frank Blake, who plays cocky response officer Shane Bradley
Helen Fear | 9:01am Mon 29 SepFrank Blake is back as likeable – if at times cocky – police recruit Shane Bradley in Blue Lights series 3. And this time a drug overdose brings the Blackthorn team into the world of Belfast’s seemingly innocent elite…
Irish actor Frank joined the cast of Blue Lights series 2 in 2024. And his confident character Shane Bradley caused quite the stir from the offset amongst the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) team.
And not just because he was half naked when we first set eyes on him! Although (cough, cough), we’d seen worse. Just ask Annie Conlon, who had been gooey-eyed over him ever since she first met her new partner. Although that didn’t last long.
Viewers may well recognise the actor from his roles in Game of Thrones, Sanditon, and Bridgerton. Although those of who you watched Normal People might struggle to forgive him for playing the heinous bully Alan.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Irish actor, including if there’s another will-they-won’t-they romance on the BBC One show!
Who plays Shane Bradley in Blue Lights?
Frank Blake portrays Shane Bradley in Blue Lights on BBC One. The actor joined the cast at the beginning of series 2, which started on Monday, April 15, 2024. He returns in the upcoming series 3.
The character made quite the entrance, when he appeared half naked in his first ever scene. Viewers will know that Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) walked in on the new constable while he was changing.
While he may be easy on the eye, the new recruit was treated with more than a hint of suspicion. The reason? Newbie Shane Bradley had been added to the team by pushy boss Murray Canning, who wasn’t afraid to step on toes, and seemed to have his own agenda.
However, Shane immediately proved himself to be an asset to the team. He’s good at his job, that’s for sure. He’s brave, strong, and saved colleague Grace’s life in the first episode of series 2. And, yes, Shane appeared to have a flirtatious connection with Annie. So that’s two sets of simmering sexual tensions, including Grace and Stevie’s will-they-won’t-they relationship…
In series 3, Shane proves that he isn’t always happy to play by the rules. But that may come and bite him on the arse.
Do Shane and Annie get together in Blue Lights?
Speaking at a press event for season 2 of Blue Lights, co-creator Declan Lawn said: “Yeah, there’s definitely something going on there. Frank’s an amazing addition to the police family. Obviously we lost a big character in Gerry, and we can never replace him – he’s a unique soul.
“But it did allow us to bring in new energy and I think with the response cops being a year in, then Frank comes in, and he’s kind of a bit more experienced than them, it creates a really nice, interesting dynamic. He’s been put there by Canning. So they right out of the gate know that there’s something brewing.”
Meanwhile, Blake told TVGuide.co.uk and other press: “He enters the unit in a strange time of transition for them. Canning has brought him in and I don’t know how many of those guys feel about Canning. And I guess they’re still kind of in mourning from the loss of Gerry, so he feels that atmosphere a little bit maybe.”
He added: “He’s quite tentative with how he’s approaching things – they all have their own dynamics and relationships already that he’s trying to figure out.”
In series 2, Shane and Annie DID have a one-night stand. However, the relationship subsequently settled into a workplace relationship. Only time will tell what season 3 brings for the characters.
Actor Frank played Marianne’s bully brother Alan in the cast of Normal People (Credit: BBC)
Frank Blake auditioned for series 1 of Blue Lights
Frank may have won a role in series 2 of Blue Lights, but he was turned away for series 1. The actor admitted he auditioned for the first series, which aired in 2023.
He went for the role of Mo McIntyre – the son of Republican crime boss James McIntyre (John Lynch) – but the part went to Michael Shea as they “went in a different direction”.
Talking to whattowatch.com, Frank said: “I remember reading the scripts for the first series and thinking ‘God, they’re brilliant’. I watched it when it came out and that surprised me again.
“The show was so texturally different to so many police shows, which often put the plot before the characters, whereas this is the other way around and the characters come first. Each character has got an interesting story.”
He revealed that co-star Desmond Eastwood – who he worked with on Normal People – eventually got him a part in Blue Lights season 2. Desmond, who plays DS Murray Canning, got in touch with him when he heard about a new character joining the show.
Frank explained: “DS Canning brings Shane into the unit. Des text me last summer saying there’s this part in Blue Lights and I think you’d be really good for it, you should follow it up!”
And the rest is history!
Who is Frank Blake? What else has he been in?
Frank Blake is an Irish actor, who has been on screens ever since 2017 when he appeared in the short film Inside I’m Racing. The actor played Mike in the film, about a young autistic boy fascinated with Motorsport who unexpectedly finds a chance to put his passion to the test.
That same year, Frank won the high-profile role of Constable Pip Bircher in the Sean Bean series The Frankenstein Chronicles. He went on to portray Conor Corcoran in Resistance, before landing a role in the acclaimed HBO drama Game of Thrones. He played a Northern Sentry in one episode of the series in 2019.
In 2020, Frank won arguably his most prestigious role to date, when he starred as Alan in the record-breaking Normal People. Anybody who watched it – and it was streamed by a whooping 23 million viewers – will probably despise his character. Frank played Marianne’s bully brother Alan, who tormented her whenever she was at home. He admits he felt “awful” filming the scenes opposite his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones.
Was Frank Blake in Bridgerton? Who did he play?
The actor went on to play Harry in the episode of Bridgerton entitled Swish, and Madden in one episode of Invasion. He subsequently secured another impressive part. In 2022, he starred as Captain Declan Fraser in period drama Sanditon. Fans will know that Fraser was one of the nicer redcoats – a gentleman, who fell for and ultimately proposed to Alison. Unlike his Normal People character, Fraser was an absolute darling.
Other notable Frank Blake roles include Birger in Vikings: Valhalla and, more recently, Sean McGuire in detective series Blackshore. After his role in Blue Lights, he played Seamus Wright in Say Nothing, opposite his Blue Lights co-star Martin McCann.
His film roles include Marcus in 2023’s Double Blind, and Doctor Murray in the comedy The Bright Side.
How old is Blue Lights actor Frank Blake? Where is he from?
Blue Lights star Frank Blake was born in 1996 in County Clare, West Ireland. He is currently 29.
He grew up in the village of Tuamgraney, and graduated from the prestigious Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art in 2016 at the age of 21.
His parents, Michael and Mary Blake, run East Clare Equestrian Training Centre and Frank often competed in events as a youngster. He also spent much of his spare time caring for horses, saying: “I walked from one sort of life into another.”
Frank is the grand-nephew of Irish novelist and playwright, Edna O’Brien. She is perhaps most famous for writing The Country Girls trilogy.
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Is Frank Blake on Instagram?
The actor does have an official Instagram account. On it, he posts pictures from behind the scenes of his work projects, including Blue Lights.
Most recently, he’s shared a “first look” at his next project The Boy. It’s described as “a radical, contemporary and unmistakably Irish interpretation of the epic Greek myths of Sophocles’ Theban Trilogy of Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.”
The Boy features Oedipus and his family at the height of their powers before things begin to unravel. The theatre “experience” is part of the Dublin Theatre Festival 2025.
Does the actor Frank Blake have a wife?
Fans wondering if there’s any sign of a partner or wife… We’ve done the research so you don’t have to. However, there’s no sign of a love life on his socials.
Frank keeps his private life out of the public eye. Unlike his character Shane who is happy to let it all hang out!
