The return date for the BBC’s smash hit series Shetland has been confirmed – with a ‘brutal murder’ set to shock fans.
The long-awaited eighth series of the murder mystery will air on Wednesday November 1 at 8pm.
The show, based on the novels by best-selling author Ann Cleeves, was filmed across Shetland earlier this year.
It follows on from series seven’s emotional finale, which brought fans to tears.
Shetland season eight will be first without Douglas Henshall (DI Jimmy Perez)
This will be the first season without Douglas Henshall, who played DI Jimmy Perez.
Instead, the show will be anchored by Alison O’Donnell (DS Tosh McIntosh) and Ashley Jensen (DI Ruth Calder).
The pair’s new working relationship will be tested as Met detective DI Ruth Calder returns to her native Shetland after 30 years.
This time they are on the trail of a vulnerable witness to a London gangland murder, Ellen Quinn.
Tosh is forced to pause her investigation into a string of sinister animal deaths in Lerwick to help Calder find Ellen before it’s too late.
Matters are made worse when armed London gangsters – the experienced Howell and volatile Nowak – arrive on the Isles on a mission to silence Ellen.
On top of the twists and turns of the case, Calder is faced with figures from her past including her ex-boyfriend Cal Innes and estranged younger brother Alan – now the minister of their late father’s old church.
As the case gathers momentum, Calder and Tosh are stunned by news of a brutal murder which has all the hallmarks of organised crime…
The series has boosted Shetland’s popularity by featuring local landmarks, including scenic coastlines, small villages and the Northlink ferry service.
Ann Cleeves recently told The P&J how, after visiting Shetland, she was fascinated by “the thought of living and growing up in a place where everybody else knows what you are doing and, if you do something you shouldn’t, the chances are that somebody will tell your parents.”
Shetland will be available on both BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday November 1 at 9pm.
