Meet the Cast: In the Back Seat with Ellis Carter

Most shows introduce you to their cast with actor interviews — the craft, the preparation, the on-set anecdotes. Bilked can't do that, for one simple reason: our cast aren't actors. Bilked is an AI-assisted production, which means the characters you'll meet on screen are brought to life through a blend of writing, performance design and cutting-edge production tools rather than a casting call. We think that makes the usual interview format redundant — and opens the door to something far more fun.

So instead of interviewing actors about the characters, we're interviewing the characters. In the back seat. Meter off. One at a time, as production progresses — and we're starting with the man who narrates the whole thing.

In the Back Seat: Ellis Carter

Ellis Carter, 40s, owner-driver at SOS Cabs. Former Costa del Sol rep. Won just over four million on the lottery in 1999 and would rather you didn't ask what happened next. The sharpest tongue on the rank and, if you believe the others, its unofficial mayor.

Q: Ellis, for people who haven't met you yet — who are you?

"I'm the bloke who takes you home when nobody else will. Four in the morning, you've lost a shoe, your mate's crying about a fella called Dean — I'm the one with the light on. Fifteen years on this rank. I've seen things, sunshine. I've hosed things."

Q: You won four million pounds. Why are you driving a cab?

"Next question."

Q: Fair enough. Describe the rest of the rank in one sentence each.

"Mick's my best mate and the reason I've never needed home insurance. Len's the finest man ever to hold a steering wheel and he'll tell you exactly how many days he's got left whether you ask or not. Ketchup — you'll meet Ketchup, and when you do, count your family. Google will tell you the history of the roundabout you're crying on. Toni could fold me into a glovebox and we both know it. Kobi's the future, bless him, he still thinks there's rules. And Sutcliffe... Sutcliffe's best experienced with the windows down."

Q: And the office?

"April runs the town and lets the Devlins think they do. Francesco will realign your chakras whether they're out of line or not. And the Devlins own the firm, which is all I'm legally comfortable saying about the Devlins."

Q: What should viewers expect from the show?

"The truth. That's the thing about a cab — people get in and they tell you everything. Every fare's a little story: some of them are filthy, some of them break your heart, and the best ones are both before you've hit the seafront. That's the show. Twelve months on this rank, everything included."

Q: Finally — anything you want to say to the people of Southend?

"After midnight it's double. That's not me, that's the trade. And whoever left a single wellington in my cab on New Year's Eve — I've still got it, and I've grown attached to it, so let's say no more about it."

Who's Next?

This is an ongoing series — as production continues through 2026, we'll be putting every member of the SOS Cabs family in the back seat. Next up: we've requested Mick Ford. He's said no twice, which by Mick standards means we're nearly there. Follow us on socials to catch each interview as it lands.