Tamara Lawrance stars as the formidable lead character in Channel 4's tropical crime drama Get Millie Black - set to rival BBC's Death in Paradise. The show follows the sharp-witted ex-Scotland Yard detective Millie-Jean Black as she tackles a missing persons case in her native Jamaica. However, it's no holiday for Millie-Jean, who grapples with personal demons and hauntings of missing children. Lead actress Tamara Lawrance described her character: "Millie Black is irreverent, belligerent, hawk-eyed and driven by her heart for justice. "She doesn't mince words and is not remotely interested in being palatable. She tows the line between loneliness and independence. She's a detective, a sister, a friend – but in that order." "Work comes first, a choice she convinces herself is in everyone's best interest, even when she's actually using work to avoid the things she doesn't want to face. She can be stubborn and impulsive but that is what makes her great at her job." A deeper desire she has is to cultivate home with her sister, but after all their time estranged from one another, she doesn't quite know how to build this bond." The Mirror reports the new drama will premiere on Wednesday, March 5 on Channel 4 and has viewers eager for its launch. But viewers are also curious about the life of Tamara Lawrance away from TV. Passion for drama Born in Wembley, Lawrance hails from Jamaican lineage through her mother, who works as a hospital clinical technician, while her delivery driver father adds to her diverse background. While Lawrance hasn't disclosed the number of her siblings, it's understood there are several younger than herself. Lawrance discovered her passion for acting at the tender age of six, performing in school plays, but faced a setback when she found that her secondary school didn't offer drama until year 9. She revealed to The Guardian: "I wanted to act because it was fun. And in year 7 I was mortified to discover you couldn't do drama until year 9." Not one to accept defeat, she took matters into her own hands, convincing the head of the year to start an after-school drama club, which led to her participation in the Shakespeare schools festival. She told the paper, "At 11, I persuaded the head of year to set up an extracurricular club and we did the Shakespeare schools festival. I played Puck, then Macbeth." BAFTA highlights Lawrance's supportive network on her profile, mentioning that she was "supported by her mum, aunt and teachers" in her journey to RADA. Career success In her career, Lawrance has appeared in a range of acclaimed projects such as Undercover, The Split, No Offence, The Long Song, The Silent Twins, Kindred, and Small Axe. Before taking on a role in Get Millie Black, she acted in Stephen Graham’s prison drama Time on BBC One as Abi Cochrane, as well as Mr Loverman. Royal drama In 2017, she secured the part of Jess in the television movie King Charles III, depicting an alternate reality where Prince Charles ascends to the throne. Her character becomes Prince Harry’s republican girlfriend – a role that garnered new relevance with Prince Harry’s real-life romance with Meghan Markle, who is of mixed race and was a former actress in the show Suits. Reflecting on the timing, Lawrance remarked to The Guardian, "We were shooting before the news of [Harry and Meghan] being in a relationship was even public, so I just thought that was really astute of the writer, or the casting director. "To see this is a likely partnership, because of Harry's character, perhaps." Get Millie Black debuts at 9pm on Wednesday, March 5 on Channel 4. All episodes will be available on Channel 4 streaming service.