Shetland returns for its eleventh series on Thursday evening, November 12, marking Alison O'Donnell's final appearance as DI Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh. She stars alongside Ashley Jensen, who plays DI Ruth Calder, in the BBC crime drama.
The programme, which first aired on BBC One in 2013, is based on Ann Cleeves' novels and adapted by David Kane. Each season follows the detectives as they investigate various crimes, from whodunits to family conspiracies.
Why did Douglas Henshall leave Shetland?
Douglas Henshall played DI Jimmy Perez for the first seven series, while Jensen took over from the eighth series onwards. O'Donnell has been part of the show since it began 13 years ago but is now due to step down from the force.
Perez exited the series in 2022, leaving with his partner Meg, played by Lucianne McEvoy. His departure followed a dramatic storyline in which he vindicated American painter Lloyd Anderson in a historic murder investigation and then released him, ultimately handing in his detective badge.
At the time, Henshall explained his decision, saying: "It's been one of the privileges of my career to play Jimmy Perez for almost 10 years and to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera, and also to spend so much time in Shetland." He added: "The Isles were so much a part of our show and of Perez himself. I'll miss him and the place."
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I decided to leave a few years ago because I felt that Perez's story was coming to a natural end - it was time to find a resolution to Perez's private life." He continued: "I never wanted to ruin the things that were unique to him and our series, so it felt like the right time to wrap up his story in a way that would be satisfactory to everybody."
Is Douglas Henshall returning to Shetland?
Series 11 will also feature the return of Steven Robertson (DC Sandy Wilson), Samuel Anderson (Procurator Fiscal Matt Blake), Steven Miller (Rev Alan Calder), Anne Kidd (pathologist Cora McLean), Angus Miller (Tosh's partner Donnie), Conor McCarry (PC Alex Grant) and Eubha Akilade (PC Lorna Burns). Sergeant Billy McCabe, played by Lewis Howden, will also be back after his fate was left uncertain at the end of series 10.
Ann Cleeves' most recent novel, The Killing Stones, was published in 2025 and picks up the story seven years after the earlier book Red Bones, with Perez relocating from Shetland to Orkney. However, Cleeves believes the TV version will continue to focus on DI Ruth Calder.
Asked about a possible screen comeback for Perez, Cleeves said: "That would be down to Dougie Henshall," according to The Scotsman. She added: "But I don't think so. He has moved on, and I like the two women together; they have a bit of a Cagney and Lacey feel about them. I really enjoy that. I think the TV show is absolutely brilliant."
Henshall has ruled out a return for now. In a 2022 conversation with This Morning presenter Alison Hammond, when asked about a potential comeback, he responded: "No, I'm done."
Central to series 11 is an old murder that is poised to affect those linked to the investigation in the present day. While the programme was initially adapted from Cleeves' works, the latest series is not drawn from any specific title. Shetland airs on Thursday at 9pm on BBC and iPlayer.
