Shetland

Shetland is a Scottish crime drama produced by ITV Studios for the BBC, broadcast on BBC One since its debut on 10 March 2013. Based on the Shetland Island novels by acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves (who also created ITV’s Vera), the series was brought to screen by writer David Kane, who has remained a principal writer throughout its run. The first two series adapted four of Cleeves’s novels directly, whilst later series moved beyond the books to original stories using the same characters and setting—a creative evolution that has allowed the show to continue well past the point where its source material was exhausted, now well into its second decade on air and approaching its eleventh series in 2026.

For its first seven series (2013-2022), the show starred Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez, a Shetland-born detective who returns to his home islands and finds himself uncovering secrets and lies buried deep within the community he grew up in. Henshall’s Perez was quiet, brooding, and deeply humane—a detective whose intimate understanding of island life, its unspoken codes, and its long memory for old grievances proved as valuable an investigative tool as any forensic evidence. His performance earned him the BAFTA Scotland award for Best Actor in 2016, the same year the series itself won Best TV Drama, cementing Shetland’s status as a critical and audience favourite. Perez’s personal life—including his relationship with Fran Hunter and his role raising her daughter Cassie following Fran’s murder partway through the series—added significant emotional weight to the ongoing narrative, demonstrating the show’s willingness to let personal tragedy and grief permeate its procedural framework.

Following Henshall’s departure after Series 7, the show underwent a significant transition, introducing Ashley Jensen (Extras, Ugly Betty, Agatha Raisin) as DI Ruth Calder from Series 8 (2023) onwards. Calder arrived on Shetland with her own history and connections to the islands, bringing a different energy and investigative style whilst the show maintained its essential DNA—atmospheric island mysteries, strong ensemble policing, and deep engagement with the particular textures of Shetland life. This successful handover, achieved without losing the show’s core identity or its dedicated audience, speaks to the strength of both the writing and Jensen’s performance in making the role distinctly her own rather than simply filling Henshall’s shoes.

Throughout both eras, the investigative team has remained anchored by two crucial constants: DS Alison “Tosh” McIntosh (Alison O’Donnell), a whip-smart local detective sergeant who has served under both Perez and Calder, and DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson), whose earnest, sometimes underestimated approach to police work has made him a consistent fan favourite across the entire run. Their continuity across the change in lead detective has been vital to Shetland’s success, providing emotional and narrative anchors that let viewers trust the show’s world even as its central figure changes. Additional recurring characters, including Mark Bonnar as Duncan Hunter and various supporting islanders played by Julie Graham, Anne Kidd, and others, have deepened the sense of a fully realised, ongoing community rather than a revolving cast of disposable suspects.

What distinguishes Shetland from many British crime dramas is its profound sense of place. The islands’ stark, beautiful, often harsh landscape—rugged coastlines, dramatic cliffs, isolated crofts, and a sky that seems to stretch forever—becomes almost a character in itself, its remoteness and tight-knit community creating unique investigative challenges. Everyone on Shetland knows everyone else, which means secrets are both harder to keep and, once buried, capable of remaining hidden for decades; the show frequently draws its mysteries from long-simmering resentments, historical grievances, and the particular intensity of relationships in a place where you cannot simply disappear into anonymity. This creates a fundamentally different tone from urban or even rural mainland crime dramas—one steeped in weather, tide, and the psychological particularities of island life.

Filming takes place extensively across the real Shetland Islands, with Lerwick’s police station and the surrounding landscape featuring prominently, giving the show an authentic visual texture that would be impossible to replicate on a mainland set. The production’s relationship with Shetland has proven hugely beneficial for the islands’ tourism economy, with VisitScotland describing the show’s impact as “an amazing success,” drawing thousands of visitors—many arriving via cruise ship specifically to see the dramatic scenery and locations they recognise from the series. Shetland.org, the islands’ official tourism site, has developed extensive fan resources including self-guided location tours, reflecting the genuine cultural and economic significance the show holds for the community it depicts.

Ann Cleeves, whose novels launched the character of Jimmy Perez, remains closely associated with the franchise even as the television series has moved beyond her original books into new original storytelling. In a notable development for fans, Cleeves announced in early 2025 that Jimmy Perez would return in a new novel, The Killing Stones, picking up the character’s story seven years after his television departure and relocating him to Orkney—sparking considerable speculation among fans about whether Douglas Henshall might eventually return to screen in some capacity, even as the current television series continues successfully with Ashley Jensen’s DI Calder.

Shetland has proven a critical and commercial triumph for BBC Scotland, demonstrating that regionally specific, atmospherically distinctive crime drama can achieve sustained national and international success. Its combination of intelligent, character-driven mysteries, stunning landscape cinematography, and a genuine sense of community and place has kept audiences engaged across more than a decade, multiple series, and a significant change of lead actor—a rare achievement that speaks to the strength of the show’s fundamental creative DNA, established by Ann Cleeves’s novels and faithfully developed by David Kane and the show’s production team into one of British television’s most distinctive and enduring crime dramas.

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