New Shetland murder-mystery series commissioned
Six new programmes of the murder-mystery drama Shetland have been commissioned meaning film crews will back in the isles as the second series is made.
Screened over two nights last month the debut Shetland programmes had a combined audience of 12 million. It will return as a six-part series – featuring three two-parters based on the remaining stories from Ann Cleeves’ series set in the isles, Raven Black, Dead Water and Blue Lightning.
Douglas Henshall will return to the lead role as detective Jimmy Perez.
Raven Black will be written by Gaby Chiappe (The Paradise, Vera), Dead Water by David Kane (Rebus, Field of Blood, This Years Love) and Blue Lightning by Richard Davidson (Silent Witness, Eastenders).
Filming on the second series will take place in the coming months in Shetland and other Scottish locations. It will be screended on BBC One and is being made in collaboration with BBC Scotland and produced by ITV Studios.
Elaine Collins, Executive Producer, ITV Studios said: “I’m thrilled by the terrific response we’ve had to Shetland. The Scottish landscape is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to work again with Douglas Henshall and the team on Ann Cleeves’ wonderful Shetland stories.”
Christopher Aird, Head of Drama Scotland and executive producer, said: “I am so pleased we are taking Shetland to a full series. Douglas Henshall is a hugely talented lead and Shetland such a unique part of the country; we can look forward to a series of characterful, thrilling and windswept stories.”
More in Friday’s Shetland Times
sheila nicolson
CANT WAIT FOR THE NEW SERIES OF SHETLAND.BORN IN SHETLAND BUT NOW LIVE IN STONEHAVEN. I REMEMBER WELL ALL MY HOLIDAYS UP THERE. GORGEOUS COUNYRYSIDE AND LOVELY PEOPLE. HELLO TO ALL MY RELATIONS.
Shuard Manson
So when are the desperate going to start complaining? I surmise it will be shortly. He wisna wearin a Gansy……He didna spik shetlan…..Yun wid NIVVIR happen! Jacobsen wid be turnin in his grave…….
Allen Fraser
The parallels in recent times to the forthcoming series of ‘Shetland’ would be the TV soap ‘Two Thousand Acres of Sky’ mainly filmed around Port Logan in Dumfries and Galloway and Hamish Macbeth filmed on location in the village of Plockton. Both series featured scenery from various locations in the west of Scotland and were a marvellous showcase for that area.
There is no guarantee that the new series ‘Shetland’ will be an excellent showcase for these islands. If done well the background to the new stories should be an excellent showcase Shetland’s unique landscape, but if done badly it could actually put visitors off coming to Shetland. The pilot programme ‘Shetland’ had some good local scenery in it but for some strange reason they wanted to pretend it was winter and Up-Helly-Aa time, neither fact having anything to do with the main storyline. Accents or clothing in the programme don’t actually matter to the story; these days you hardly ever hear ‘Shetlan’ spoken on ‘da Street’ or see a Fair Isle ganzie (apart from on the ponies who wouldn’t be seen dead without one, except in Tesco).
Two Thousand Acres of Sky and Hamish Macbeth had excellent stories and were well told; unfortunately the pilot programme ‘Shetland’ was a poor story badly told and had less than favourable reviews in the national press. These reviews and associated articles are just as important (if not more so) in giving an impression of Shetland as the programme itself. I hope the new series is better written and better presented than the pilot, and get better reviews as a consequence.
Shuard Manson
I reckon if you dinna bide here it winna mak muckle difference.
I bow my head tae da man whoa! (Geddit?) maintains the ponies in gansies dat went viral wisna a good thing.