Shetland is back for season eight, with Ashley Jensen as the new lead! The hugely popular murder mystery BBC drama has confirmed that filming has kicked on filming in locations around Scotland – and they have shared a new first look at the show!
Joined by We Are in Time star Alison O'Donnell, the snap showed a first look at Ashley as Met Police Detective Inspector Ruth Calder, who turned to Shetland to retrieve a vulnerable witness in a gangland murder.
The official synopsis read: "Tosh must pause her investigation into a string of mysterious animal deaths to help DI Ruth Calder find the witness before it’s too late. However, Calder’s hostility to Shetland will challenge Tosh’s view of her adopted home and their journey into the darker recesses of Shetland's past and present will test this fragile, new partnership."
Speaking about the show's return, Executive Producer for Silverprint Pictures Kate Bartlett said: "We're so excited about this new series of Shetland with Ashley and Alison and all our wonderful returning and guest cast.
"Paul Logue has created a distinctive and emotionally complex story, set against the stunning and evocative landscape of the Shetland Isles. We're thrilled to be making this new series with such incredible Scottish talent."
The show is set to land on our screens later this year, and will be the first series without Douglas Henshall, who played Jimmy Perez on the show. Speaking to the BBC, the actor explained that he felt it was the "right time" to wrap up Jimmy's story in order to avoid ruining "the things that were unique" to the character and the series.
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"I decided to leave a few years ago because I felt that Perez's story was coming to a natural end - it was time to find a resolution to Perez's private life," said the 56-year-old. "I never wanted to ruin the things that were unique to him and our series so it felt like the right time to wrap up his story in a way that would be satisfactory to everybody."
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