The BBC has finally confirmed the release date for the upcoming season of its hit crime drama Shetland – and it's so soon!
The police series will return to our screens on Wednesday 6 November and will see Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell reprise their roles as Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh respectively – and the new episodes sound gripping!
When we return to the titular Scottish isles, Calder and Tosh are called to investigate the disappearance of Tosh's friend, Annie.
The full synopsis reads: "A double missing person's case blurs the lines between the personal and the professional, as Calder and Tosh are drawn into a labyrinthine investigation. When Tosh’s friend, Annie Bett, goes missing she suspects something is seriously wrong. Ruth Calder - now living in Shetland - has no time to recover from a life-threatening ordeal of her own, as together they set out in search of Annie and her young son, Noah. They discover accountant Annie is estranged from her husband, Ian, and has been staying with mussel farmer John Harris and his two sons, Patrick and Fergus. Worryingly, there’s no sign of Annie there either.
"Calder follows Tosh's instincts and looks for Annie at the home she shared with Ian. There, they discover Professor Euan Rossi who claims to have been Annie’s Oxford University tutor many years ago. Suspicions are stirred when Tosh and Calder learn Rossi travelled all the way to Shetland after Annie left him a distressed voicemail the night she vanished. Calder can’t shake the feeling there’s more to Rossi than meets the eye," it continues.
"Meanwhile, at the station, Calder delves deeper into another case involving a deadly argument between two brothers. The missing persons investigation draws Tosh and Calder into a web of lies and when a bloodied person turns up at a remote garage, nothing can prepare the team for what lies ahead."
Starting alongside Ashley and Alison in the new episodes are Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson, Lewis Howden as Sgt Billy McCabe, Anne Kidd as Cora McLean, and Angus Miller as Donnie.
Rounding out the main cast are Steven Miller as Rev Alan Calder, Tibu Fortes as PF Harry Lamont, Conor McCarry as PC Alex Grant and Eubha Akilade as PC Lorna Burns.
Meanwhile, some exciting guest stars have been confirmed for the series, including The Responder star Ian Hart, who will play Euan Rossi, and House of the Dragon's Vincent Regan as John Harris.
Elsewhere, Annie Bett will be portrayed by Sarah MacGillivray, while Jacob Ferguson plays Noah Bett, alongside Robert Jack as Ian Bett, Ross Anderson as Patrick Harris, and Macleod Stephen as Fergus Harris.
Other stars appearing in the show include Leeroy Boone, Stuart Campbell, Nalini Chetty, Richard Thomson, Andrew John Tait, Tara Lee, Jimmy Yuill, Lesley Hart and Gemma McElhinney.