Shetland

Shetland is a Scottish crime drama television series made by ITV Studios for the BBC and broadcast on BBC One. The first episode was broadcast on 10 March 2013. The show is based upon the Shetland Island novels by Ann Cleeves, with the first 2 series being direct adaptations of 4 of her books. Later series utilized the same characters and settings, but were original stories not based on the novel series. The series was brought to screen by David Kane, who has remained a principal writer through all five series.

Production[]

The series stars Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez, a Detective Inspector working for the Shetland police, Alison O'Donnell as DS Alison "Tosh" McIntosh, and Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson. Mark Bonnar, Lewis Howden, Erin Armstrong, Julie Graham, and Anne Kidd are also credited as principal members of the cast.

Locations[]

Main article: Shetland Locations

The episodes take place largely on the eponymous Scottish archipelago, although much of the series' filming takes place on the Scottish mainland, with only some location filming actually taking place on Shetland.

Main Cast and Crew[]

Main Cast
Character	Actor	# Episodes
DCI Jimmy Perez	Douglas Henshall	26
DS Alison McIntosh	Alison O'Donnell	26
DC Sandy Wilson	Steven Robertson	26
Cassie Perez	Erin Armstrong	23
Duncan Hunter	Mark Bonnar	23
Rhona Kelly	Julie Graham	22
Cora McLean	Anne Kidd	14
Billy McCabe	Lewis Howden	20

Writers
Image	Writer	# of Episodes	Notes
	Ann Cleeves	26	Writing credits for all episodes of the show
	Gaby Chiappe	7	Writing credits: - Series 3, Episode 6 (2016) - story - Series 3, Episode 5 (2016) - writer - Series 3, Episode 4 (2016) - story/writer - Series 3, Episode 2 (2016) - story - Series 3, Episode 1 (2016) - story/writer - Raven Black: Part 2 (2014) - writer - Raven Black: Part 1 (2014) - writer
	Richard Davidson	2	Writing credits: - Blue Lightning: Part 2 (2014) - writer - Blue Lightning: Part 1 (2014) - writer
File:James-hall.jpg	James Hall	1	Writing credits: - Series 5, Episode 5 (2019) - story consultant
	Louise Ironside	1	Writing credits: - Series 4, Episode 2 (2018) - writer
	David Kane	16	Writing credits: - Series 5, Episode 6 (2019) - writer - Series 5, Episode 5 (2019) - Series 5, Episode 3 (2019) - writer - Series 5, Episode 2 (2019) - story - Series 5, Episode 1 (2019) - writer - Series 4, Episode 6 (2018) - Series 4, Episode 5 (2018) - Series 4, Episode 4 (2018) - Series 4, Episode 3 (2018) - story - Series 4, Episode 2 (2018) - writer - Series 4, Episode 1 (2018) - writer - Series 3, Episode 6 (2016) - writer - Dead Water: Part 2 (2014) - writer - Dead Water: Part 1 (2014) - writer - Red Bones: Part 2 (2013) - written by - Red Bones: Part 1 (2013) - written by
	Paul Logue	3	Writing credits: - Series 5, Episode 4 (2019) - writer - Series 5, Episode 2 (2019) - writer - Series 4, Episode 3 (2018) - writer
File:Robert-murphy.jpg	Robert Murphy	6	Writing credits: - Series 3, Episode 6 (2016) - story - Series 3, Episode 5 (2016) - story - Series 3, Episode 4 (2016) - story - Series 3, Episode 3 (2016) - written by - Series 3, Episode 2 (2016) - story/writer - Series 3, Episode 1 (2016) - story
File:Alexander-perrin.jpg	Alexander Perrin	1	Writing credits: - Series 3, Episode 3 (2016) - writer

Directors
Image	Director	# Episodes	Notes
	Jan Matthys	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 3, Episode 4 - Series 3, Episode 5 - Series 3, Episode 6
	Thaddeus O'Sullivan	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 3, Episode 1 - Series 3, Episode 2 - Series 3, Episode 3
	Rebecca Gatward	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 4, Episode 4 - Series 4, Episode 5 - Series 4, Episode 6
	Lee Haven Jones	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 4, Episode 1 - Series 4, Episode 2 - Series 4, Episode 3
	Gordon Anderson	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 5, Episode 1 - Series 5, Episode 2 - Series 5, Episode 3
	Isabelle Sieb	3	Episodes Directed: - Series 5, Episode 4 - Series 5, Episode 5 - Series 5, Episode 6
	Peter Hoar	2	Episodes Directed: - Red Bones: Part 1 - Red Bones: Part 2
	John McKay	2	Episodes Directed: - Raven Black: Part 1 - Raven Black: Part 2
	David Moore	2	Episodes Directed: - Dead Water: Part 1 - Dead Water: Part 2
File:Stewart-svaasand.jpg	Stewart Svaasand	2	Episodes Directed: - Blue Lightning: Part 1 - Blue Lightning: Part 2

Directors
Image	Director	# Episodes	Notes
File:Sue-de-beauvoir.jpg	Sue de Beauvoir	8	Episodes produced: - Blue Lightning: Part 2 (2014) - Blue Lightning: Part 1 (2014) - Dead Water: Part 2 (2014) - Dead Water: Part 1 (2014) - Raven Black: Part 2 (2014) - Raven Black: Part 1 (2014) - Red Bones: Part 2 (2013) - Red Bones: Part 1 (2013)
File:Peter-gallagher.jpg	Peter Gallagher	6	Episodes Produced: - Blue Lightning: Part 2 (2014) - Blue Lightning: Part 1 (2014) - Dead Water: Part 2 (2014) - Dead Water: Part 1 (2014) - Raven Black: Part 2 (2014) - Raven Black: Part 1 (2014)
File:Eric-coulter.jpg	Eric Coulter	18	Episodes Produced: - Episode #5.6 (2019) - Episode #5.5 (2019) - Episode #5.4 (2019) - Episode #5.3 (2019) - Episode #5.2 (2019) - Episode #5.1 (2019) - Episode #4.6 (2018) - Episode #4.5 (2018) - Episode #4.4 (2018) - Episode #4.3 (2018) - Episode #4.2 (2018) - Episode #4.1 (2018) - Episode #3.6 (2016) - Episode #3.5 (2016) - Episode #3.4 (2016) - Episode #3.3 (2016) - Episode #3.2 (2016) - Episode #3.1 (2016)

Episodes[]

Series 1 consists of 2 episodes and is based on the 2009 Novel Red Bones

Overall No.	Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
1	1.1	Red Bones: Part 1	Peter Hoar	David Kane	10 March 2013	7.97
Elderly Shetlander Mima Wilson is found murdered on the archaeological site on the grounds of her croft. Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his team investigate, and find that somehow the murder is linked to the Shetland bus.
2	1.2	Red Bones: Part 2	Peter Hoar	David Kane	11 March 2013	5.68
With two murders and no strong leads, Detective Inspector Perez and his team must apprehend the suspect before crowds descend on the Shetland Islands for Up Helly Aa, the biggest fire festival in Europe.

Series 2 consists of 6 episodes with 2 episodes each based on the following:

Raven Black (published in 2006)
Dead Water (published in 2013)
Blue Lightning (published in 2010)

Overall No.	Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
3	21	Raven Black: Part 1	John McKay	Gaby Chiappe	11 March 2014	6.37
DI Jimmy Perez and his team investigate the murder of a teenage girl whose body was found on a secluded beach, and time and again the same name crops up – that of local recluse Magnus Bain, whose home overlooks the crime scene and who had forged an unlikely friendship with the victim. But then the procurator fiscal draws attention to the unsolved disappearance of a girl named Catriona 19 years previously – a case that shares several similarities with this one.
4	2.2	Raven Black: Part 2	John McKay	Gaby Chiappe	18 March 2014	6.16
The discovery of seven-year-old Catriona's body after almost two decades prompts Jimmy Perez to take Magnus in for further questioning. But at the station, the recluse's distress leads to his attacking the inspector, and Magnus is sent for a psychological evaluation. Ploughing on, Perez re-examines the evidence, but it is only when Catriona's brother reveals she had a secret hiding place at their old home – the same house where Catherine also lived – that he finally sees a glimmer of hope.
5	2.3	Dead Water: Part 1	David Moore	David Kane	25 March 2014	5.56
A journalist dies in a suspicious car accident, and when it turns out he was an old friend of Perez's, a forensic scientist is called in to ensure an objective view of the case. As the team awaits her results, they look into the reasons for the victim's return to the island and find he was chasing a lead about plans for a controversial new gas pipeline.
6	2.4	Dead Water: Part 2	David Moore	David Kane	1 April 2014	5.53
The discovery of John Henderson's body leads DI Perez to wonder if this second killing is linked to the death of his journalist friend Jerry, a theory given greater weight by forensic investigator Willow Reeves' finds. But then the case takes another surprising turn with the arrival of Jerry's fiancee, carrying a memory stick he gave to her for safekeeping several weeks earlier.
7	2.5	Blue Lightning: Part 1	Stewart Svaasand	Richard Davidson	8 April 2014	5.29
A scientist is found dead in the bird observatory on Fair Isle, Perez's childhood home, so Perez and Tosh make their way across to the island, where they are greeted by Perez's father – just before flights are grounded by incoming storms. Working alone and without a forensic team, the detectives talk to the victim's friends, family, and colleagues – and as tensions run high, the storm forces Perez and the suspects to remain together under a single roof.
8	2.6	Blue Lightning: Part 2	Stewart Svaasand	Richard Davidson	15 April 2014	5.33
Time is running out for Perez and Tosh as their prime suspect lies critically ill in hospital, but it's unclear whether the fire that put him there was a drunken accident or if he was the second victim of Anna's real killer. The DI turns his attention to Finlay Caulfield regarding the photos of Anna on his camera, and while it becomes clear he was obsessed with her, it may not be enough to charge the stalker with her murder. There are still so many unanswered questions – until Sandy spots something on the CCTV footage that takes the investigation in a new direction.

Overall No.	Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
9	3.1	Series 3, Episode 1	Thaddeus O'Sullivan	Gaby Chiappe	15 January 2016	6.82
When a young man disappears on a ferry crossing and a small boy ends up in intensive care after overdosing on Ecstasy, Perez and the team become convinced the two events are connected.
10	3.2	Series 3, Episode 2	Thaddeus O'Sullivan	Robert Murphy	22 January 2016	6.02
Perez grows convinced that Michael Maguire is implicated in the grisly death of a young man, discovered in a shipping container.
11	3.3	Series 3, Episode 3	Thaddeus O'Sullivan	Robert Murphy	5 February 2016	6.21
Perez and Tosh's investigation leads them to Glasgow, where they hope to uncover the truth behind Maguire's brutal death and his connection to Robbie Morton. Old ghosts return to haunt Perez, with his enemies trying to prevent him from getting to the truth.
12	3.4	Series 3, Episode 4	Jan Matthys	Gaby Chiappe & Alexander Perrin	12 February 2016	6.26
Perez and the team are determined to track down the person who aided Michael Thompson's killer, but as the case gathers pace, the officers involved find they are all under threat. Sandy comes across the killer by chance in a ruined building, and is knocked out. Tosh, returning from Glasgow, is abducted at the airport.
13	3.5	Series 3, Episode 5	Jan Matthys	Gaby Chiappe	19 February 2016	6.55
Tosh returns apparently unharmed, but the truth later comes out. Perez continues to investigate the double murder case, but finds bureaucracy getting in the way, until he tracks down a rape victim and discovers that her attacker was the son of Phyllis Brennan.
14	3.6	Series 3, Episode 6	Jan Matthys	David Kane	4 March 2016	6.14
Perez and the team discover that the person responsible for the deaths of Robbie Morton and Michael Thompson is closer to home than they had thought.

Overall No.	Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
15	4.1	Series 4, Episode 1	Lee Haven Jones	David Kane	13 February 2018	6.72
Perez and the team are forced to re-open a 23-year-old cold case when convicted murderer, Thomas Malone, is released from prison. The case concerns teenager Lizzie Kilmuir, who was found strangled to death on a kiln. Upon returning to Shetland, Thomas tries to make amends with Lizzie's twin sister, Kate. Meanwhile, local journalist Sally McColl attends the Shetland Folk Festival with a group of her friends, but doesn't return home later that evening. The next day, she is found strangled to death on a kiln, in what looks like a copycat of Lizzie's murder. Perez is forced to break the news to Drew, Sally's father and a former police officer who led the investigation into Lizzie's murder.
16	4.2	Series 4, Episode 2	Lee Haven Jones	Louise Ironside	20 February 2018	6.28
Perez sets out to find out who attacked Thomas, and circumstances point to Benny Ray. Sandy interviews Jo Halley, who claims she saw Sally arguing with someone in Norwegian at the folk festival. Allan Killick reveals that he had realized that Sally had been lying to him when she was alive. A DNA test on a hair found on Lizzie Kilmuir's scarf reveals it is a relative of Alan. However, when Alan's deceased father is tested, it turns out they are not related. Tosh interviews employees at Forst energy, a Norwegian company that Sally had been investigating, and finds a lead from Robbie's wife, but it runs cold when she is paid off. Perez learns that Thomas's trial was unethical, partly because Benny Ray, who testified against Thomas, was a paid informant.
17	4.3	Series 4, Episode 3	Lee Haven Jones	Paul Logue	28 February 2018	6.08
Tosh heads to Norway to track down the mysterious Andreas Hagan, where she meets detective Lars Bleymann, who takes an instant shine to her. Finding herself drawn into a murky world of far right campaigners, Tosh is alarmed when she returns to her hotel room later that night and finds someone going through her belongings. Perez interviews Donna after receiving the results of the DNA test.
18	4.4	Series 4, Episode 4	Rebecca Gatward	David Kane	6 March 2018	5.31
Perez and Tosh find themselves being pursued by the secret service as their investigation in Norway continues, but when their prime suspect, Mathias Soderland, is found shot in the head whilst bearing a sign reading "traitor", they are forced to return to Shetland. Perez questions Duncan about a videotape of a birthday party which Lizzie attended in the days before her death, in which he was present. Sandy receives a distress call from Jo Halley and arrives at her croft to find it has been ransacked.
19	4.5	Series 4, Episode 5	Rebecca Gatward	David Kane	13 March 2018^[26]	6.21
Tosh begins to question if Lars could somehow be involved in Sally's murder after picking up that he knew about roadworks that took place on the island a week before he arrived. A review of the CCTV footage of Sally arriving in Norway reveals that her keychain holds a memory stick which contains video footage of Lars attending an NDA meeting. Under scrutiny, Lars admits having assaulted Jo Halleys but denies being involved in the murders, claiming that he was witness to the argument between Sally and another man on the night of her death, but Perez is shocked when Lars identifies Duncan.
20	4.6	Series 4, Episode 6	Rebecca Gatward	David Kane	20 March 2018	6.10
Jimmy realises that he has no choice but to bring Duncan in for questioning. Duncan denies murdering Lizzie and Sally, but does admit to having an affair with Donna Killick. During a review of images found on Sally's memory stick, Sandy finds a picture taken on the Unst Ferry in June 1993, shortly after Lizzie was murdered, that seemingly identifies the killer. When Duncan's DNA matches the sample found on Lizzie's scarf, Jimmy is forced to break the news to Cassie that Alan is her half-brother. After Donna confesses to the murder, Drew McColl tells Perez that he was trying to protect Donna, and that in doing so he killed his daughter, Sally. Finally cleared of both murders, Thomas suffers a fatal heart attack and dies as a free man.

Overall No.	Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (million)
21	5.1	Series 5, Episode 1	Gordon Anderson	David Kane	12 February 2019	7.29
A Shetland beach is transformed once a severed hand washes up. When a bag containing further body parts are discovered the beach becomes a murder scene. Perez quickly determines this murder has connections to a modern slave trafficking ring. The beach victim is discovered to be Daniel Ugara who was in Shetland to find his sister Zezi, both originally from Nigeria.
22	5.2	Series 5, Episode 2	Gordon Anderson	Paul Logue	19 February 2019	6.86
After the Hayes family are questioned, suspicions are raised beyond the police and the family are brutally attacked. Perez relates Daniel's murder and his sister Zezi's disappearance to the trafficking ring. Their estranged mother Olivia Lennox becomes increasingly distraught at both her perception of pace of the investigation and her sense of guilt regarding her absence from her children's lives. She is conflicted as she left them mainly in order to protect them from dangers in Nigeria.
23	5.3	Series 5, Episode 3	Gordon Anderson	David Kane	26 February 2019	7.01
A Glasgow man, Aaron McGuire, is connected to the case; Perez, believing McGuire is a crucial figure in the gang, travels to Glasgow. Another suspect, Callum, commits suicide and, as custody officer, DC Sandy Wilson is under investigation.
24	5.4	Series 5, Episode 4	Isabelle Sieb	Paul Logue	5 March 2019	6.65
Believing Zezi is still on the island, Perez and the team continue the search for her. Lennox confronts Perez, accusing him of failing her children.
25	5.5	Series 5, Episode 5	Isabelle Sieb	David Kane	12 March 2019	6.66
Another trafficked victim only known as Niki turns up dead. The pressure for Perez to find Zezi becomes intense, as he believes she is at almost immediate risk. Lennox confronts the only surviving Hayes family member, Jamie.
26	5.6	Series 5, Episode 6	Isabelle Sieb	Paul Logue	19 March 2019	6.80
The net starts to close in around the expected location of Zezi; despite this, Lennox is suicidal. Duncan Hunter, having discovered more bodies floating in the surf, is traumatised.

Due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, filming for Series 6 was delayed until March 2021 and will begin airing on 20 October 2021.

The seventh series is scheduled to be filmed immediatedly after Series 6 and should air in late 2022.

The eighth series aired in 2023

Accolades[]

Douglas Henshall won the 2016 BAFTA Scotland award for best actor for his role as Jimmy Perez, and the series received the award for Best TV Drama.

Notes[]

On December 2, 2019, BBC One announced that Shetland would return for two further series' airing respectively in 2020 and 2021. Douglas Henshall and Alison O'Donnell will reprise their roles as DI Perez and DS McIntosh. However, due to the worldwie Covid-19 pandemic, production was delayed until March of 2021. Series 5 will air in late 2021 or early 2022 and Series 6 will air aproximately 1 year later.