Maidenhead actress, 19, stars in new Channel 5 crime drama with Peter Andre

A 19-year-old from Maidenhead is making her TV debut in a Channel 5 miniseries starring pop star Peter Andre.

Chloe Stannage is a lead in the new cosy crime drama, ‘The Sunshine Murders’, which aired on TV every day this week and is now streaming.

The Redroofs and Furze Platt Junior alum has acted professionally in adverts and short films since she was seven years old, but this detective drama marks a crucial moment in her career so far.

She plays Thalia, the 14-year-old daughter of the ‘no-nonsense’ Greek detective Helen Moustakas, who reunites with her half-sister Shirley, a ‘vibrant’ farmer from New Zealand, and teams up to solve murders while trying to track down their missing father.

The show is set in Greece, featuring ‘beautiful locations, drama and comedy’, and Star Trek legend Marina Sirtis, as well as guest stars Stephanie Beacham and Nina Wadia.

“The first day of filming was probably the most exciting because I’d never had a big part before – this was my first big part in a series, so it was all really new and exciting,” said Chloe.

They filmed in Cyprus between September and January, with additional filming taking place in London. The show is streaming on Channel 5, Paramount+ and UPtv in the USA.

“You’re filming in these really nice locations – one of the scenes was right next to the beach during sunset, so it just looked amazing,” Chloe said about the four-month filming process.

“I got to learn about the cultures in Cyprus and work with the Cypriot crew.

“My character is Greek, so filming in Cyprus helped me a lot, and I got to learn a lot more.”

The youngster was given a first glimpse at the Everyman cinema in High Barnet, where the first two episodes were screened as a feature film.

The first episode then aired on Monday afternoon, with subsequent episodes on daytime TV every day this week.

“My [family and friends] are really excited for me and supportive, and a lot of people have said how they like shows similar to this, so that's really cool,” she said.

Chloe attended a launch event last week and reunited with her on-screen grandmother, Marina Sirtis, on-screen mum Dora Chrysikou, and on-screen aunt, showrunner Emily Corcoran, as well as scene partner Peter Andre, who plays a pathologist on the show.

“It was really nice to see everyone again. They were so lovely throughout the filming process – really nice to me and always helped. They were fun to work alongside as actors,” said Chloe.

“I like the atmosphere on set because everyone enjoys doing a similar thing. Everyone loves films and filming, and everyone's like a family because everyone gets really close.”

The Sylvia Young Theatre School graduate features in all episodes as her character ‘dips in and out’ of family life storylines and gets involved in the mysteries.

On playing a 14-year-old teenager in the show, Chloe was shocked at her transformation as she didn’t ‘think [she] looked that young’ when cast.

“When I got on set, hair and makeup are so talented, so when I got into costume, I was like ‘Oh wow, they’ve made me look even younger than 14…’. It really helped with my acting,” she said.

Her previous acting experience includes a war drama shot as a feature film in Poland when she was ten years old, and she would ‘love to carry on’ with what she has been doing.

“I've always enjoyed performing in general with dancing, singing and acting, but acting has always been my favourite, and I've always enjoyed being on set,” she said.

“I don't know when I realised, I wanted to do it, but I’ve always known I love film and TV.”