Shetland season 9: release date, new pictures, cast, plot and everything we know
Shetland season 9 will see Tosh and Calder back with a deeply "personal" case for Tosh...
Shetland season 9 is almost here and in great news, the BBC has already commissioned a tenth series as well! Plus now we have a release date and some plot details including the fact it involves one of Tosh's friends going missing.
When Douglas Henshall left at the end of season 7, the big question was could the series continue to be a success without its leading man?
Well, Shetland season 8 emphatically proved that the show could not only survive but also thrive as Ashley Jensen joined as DI Ruth Calder. She teamed up with regular Alison O'Donnell as Tosh and the pair struck up immediate chemistry. Met Police DI Calder was seen returning to her native Shetland to retrieve a vulnerable witness to a gangland murder. Calder and Tosh soon found themselves involved in a tricky case, which saw murder, secrets and twists galore. At times they had their differences, but ultimately they worked well together and now they will be pairing up again on a fresh case.
Ashley Jensen says: "I'm thrilled I'll be returning to the Shetland Isles again to play the wonderfully complex DI Ruth Calder. The reaction to the last series was incredible and I'm excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue. The Shetland Isles are breathtaking — without a doubt one of the most memorable and unique filming locations I’ve been to. I’m looking forward to jumping on that wee plane again and returning soon."
Alison O'Donnell adds: "I could not be happier that Shetland is returning for two more series and am so excited to get started. I'm really proud of the journey this show has been on and of the way it continues to evolve and grow in exciting and surprising ways. That we have managed to grow such a loyal and supportive viewership is a dream come true. Ashley and I just scratched the surface of our dynamic in Series 8 and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to build on that. I can't wait to see what Paul and the team have in store for us next."
Here's everything we know...
Shetland season 9 release date
Shetland season 9 will arrive on BBC One on Wednesday, November 6 at 9pm.
It will also arrive on BBC iPlayer each week after the episode has aired on BBC One.
Shetland season 9 cast
Ashley Jensen will return as DI Ruth Calder and Alison O’Donnell as Tosh. Regulars Steven Robertson (Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora) also return.
It has also been announced that Ian Hart (Mr Bates VS The Post Office, Harry Potter, The Responder) and Vincent Regan (Traces, Luther: The Fallen Sun, Aquaman) will be joining the cast.
Speaking of his new role, Ian Hart said: "I’m looking forward to embarking on a Shetland adventure – it’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit and to do so with this incredible drama is wonderful."
Vincent Regan added: “I’m thrilled to be joining the cast of Shetland which is such a beloved BBC drama. My character and his family are at the heart of this dark and twisting storyline and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds. The opportunity to visit the Shetland Isles was also a real pull to the part as well as working with the likes of Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell."
Other guest actors starring in the forthcoming series include Stuart Campbell (SAS Rogue Heroes, Baptiste), Robert Jack (Annika, Damaged), Nalini Chetty (Crime, Karen Pirie), Jimmy Yuill (Guilt, The Kindred) and Lesley Hart (Granite Harbour, River City).
There are also some familiar faces returning to the crime drama, including Angus Miller as Donnie, Steven Miller as Ruth's brother Rev Alan Calder, Tibu Fortes as PF Harry Lamont, Conor McCarry as PC Alex Grant and Eubha Akilade as PC Lorna Burns.
Shetland season 9 plot
The BBC has confirmed that the news season will be just as gripping as the last, but this time things get tricky for Tosh when a double missing person’s case blurs the lines between the personal and the professional.
Calder and Tosh are drawn into a labyrinthine investigation when Tosh’s friend, Annie Bett, goes missing and she suspects something is seriously wrong. Ruth Calder - now living in Shetland - has no time to recover from a life-threatening ordeal of her own, as together they set out in search of Annie and her young son, Noah. They discover accountant Annie is estranged from her husband, Ian, and has been staying with mussel farmer John Harris and his two sons, Patrick and Fergus. Worryingly, there’s no sign of Annie there either.
Calder follows Tosh’s instincts and looks for Annie at the home she shared with Ian. There, they discover Professor Euan Rossi who claims to have been Annie’s Oxford University tutor many years ago. Suspicions are stirred when Tosh and Calder learn Rossi travelled all the way to Shetland after Annie left him a distressed voicemail the night she vanished. Calder can’t shake the feeling there’s more to Rossi than meets the eye.
Meanwhile, at the station, Calder delves deeper into another case involving a deadly argument between two brothers. The missing persons investigation draws Tosh and Calder into a web of lies and when a bloodied person turns up at a remote garage, nothing can prepare the team for what lies ahead.
Alison O'Donnell, who plays Tosh, previously teased these plot details on BBC4's Alison O'Donnell... Remembers Shetland, she said: "It's actually quite personal for Tosh this time because the person who goes missing at the beginning of the season is in Tosh's friendship circle so someone she knows quite well.
"Initially it's not brought to her in an official way it's just that Tosh is supposed to be meeting up with this friend, who has something important to tell her. But she doesn't turn up, which is not like her. So Tosh kind of goes off on her own little mission.
"She goes off on this little side hustle, my friend isn't here and then as the episode starts to build, Calder starts to get involved and it becomes clear that no this is not just something that's happening in Tosh's life, this is actually a police matter. And we go from there."
Is there a trailer?
No, not yet - but as soon as one is released we will add it to this guide.
Behind the scenes and more on Shetland season 9
Shetland season nine is written by lead writers Paul Logue and Denise Paul, produced by Louise V Say (Dracula, Les Miserables) and directed by Andrew Cumming (Out of Darkness) and Ruth Paxton (A Banquet).
Executive producers are Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, Kate Bartlett, Denise Paul and Paul Logue for Silverprint Pictures.
Shetland is part of a growing list of BBC dramas from Scotland, including Nightsleeper, Granite Harbour and the forthcoming Lockerbie and Lions. Shetland is internationally distributed by ITV Studios.
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