From 1982, he portrayed Norman Martin, the violent and troubled father, in the "Billy" trilogy of plays by Graham Reid, all of which were broadcast as part of the "Play for Today" series. The first of the plays, "Too Late to Talk to Billy", was followed by "A Matter of Choice for Billy" (1983) and "A Coming to Terms for Billy" (1984). A postscript to the trilogy, "Lorna", was broadcast in 1987. In the mid-1980s Ellis was a member of the team of interviewers on "Afternoon Plus", produced by Thames Television.