Shetland returned to BBC One on Thursday evening (November 12) as DI 'Tosh' McIntosh and DI Ruth Calder investigated fresh murder cases in the Scottish archipelago. Actress Alison O'Donnell has confirmed the current series will mark her final appearance as Tosh, with the actress departing the crime drama.
Discovery of Skeletal Remains
During the opening episode of series 11, skeletal human remains belonging to an unidentified male were discovered inside a vehicle recovered from the water, leaving Calder and Tosh tasked with tracking down the distressed owner who abandoned the Isles nine years previously.
The probe quickly focused on two individuals who vanished back in 2017, amongst them local GP Raymond Linden, whose car it was, and Ukrainian contract labourer Ivan Dudka, who'd arranged an urgent house call with Raymond shortly before his disappearance. Ivan had been residing at a hostel in Lerwick, yet the address recorded in the surgery diary was in Isbister, roughly an hour's distance away.
Tosh Trapped in Underground Tank
Attempting to unravel the puzzle, Tosh made her way to the location and started investigating an underground storage facility, though she had company, reports the Express. Tosh shouted, "Are you okay? Do you need help?" but received no response. When the ladder she was descending collapsed, she dropped deeper into the tank and tumbled down.
Luckily, Tosh escaped injury and regained her footing before an unknown person darted towards the ladder with her back turned. She attempted to escape from them and yelled out, "Hey", but they swiftly slammed the hatch shut behind them and scarpered from the scene, leaving a visibly distressed Tosh stuck inside.
The detective retrieved her mobile phone torch to examine the space, and what she discovered left her stunned. Tosh stumbled upon the remains of another body, just as Calder was recording a message on her phone. It had come to light that the skeleton discovered in Raymond's car did, in fact, belong to him, and that Ivan was most likely the man Tosh had discovered in the tank, though the motive remained unclear.
Viewers React to Cliffhanger
Shetland audiences worry the officer has met her final moments. Taking to X, one viewer pleaded: "#Shetland I hope Tosh gets out okay. I know she's leaving, sadly", as a second fumed: "#Shetland hasn't been the same since Jimmy and Duncan left. Now Tosh is the last straw."
A third chimed in: "That was a pretty good episode except for that at the end......why oh why #Shetland", with another commenting: "So good to have this brilliant drama back on TV. I could feel it in my bones that something was coming right down the road at Tosh, oh & I was right; please no, not Tosh #Shetland."
"Who is writing the scripts for #Shetland this Season?! There's no way Tosh /Any Woman would enter & explore that building on their own...Finished with it," one viewer declared. Another commented: "So, new season of #Shetland started tonight, first: Did no one tell Tosh you don't go down a dark, scary hole on your own without backup and/or without telling anyone where you are?"
Shetland series 11 is broadcast on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
