The Scots crime series has received high praise from viewers who have branded it a a ‘must watch’.
The BBC Scotland show has received high praise from critics and fans(Image: Carl Court/Getty Images)
A gorgeous series set on a beautiful island in Scotland has been hailed as the ‘best BBC drama’. Shetland is a Scottish crime drama based on the novels of Ann Cleeves and adapted by David Kane.
The series, produced by ITV studios for BBC Scotland, first aired on BBC One in 2013 with a total of nine seasons to date. However, the tenth season is coming very soon with an expected premiere date of late 2025.
The first seven seasons starred Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Pérez until his exit in 2022 with Ashley Jensen starring as DI Ruth Calder taking over the leading role from the eighth series onwards. The iconic cast also features Alison O’Donnell, Steven Robertson, Lewis Howden and Anne Kidd, among many others.
Henshall, who originally hails from Glasgow, scooped up the 2016 BAFTA Scotland award for Best Actor and the series also received the award for Best TV Drama.
Shetland first aired in 2013 (Image: BBC)
A synopsis for the series reads: “Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community.
“In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have to rely on a uniquely resourceful style of policing. Set against a hauntingly beautiful landscape, Shetland is based on the best selling books such as Red Bones, Raven Black, Dead Water and Blue Lightning.”
Screen Rant underlined the series in its listing of the “25 Best BBC Dramas Ranked”.
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It said: “The show has remained popular even with cast changes, as several characters left the series after the seventh season and one of the lead characters didn’t join until season 8, with Ashley Jensen replacing Douglas Henshall as the new detective inspector.”
It seems viewers are equally as fond of the series with Shetland scoring a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.5/10 on IMDB.
One fan on IMDB who described the series as ‘mesmerising’, added: “Shetland stands out from the pack. I am in the midst of watching the whole thing for the second time, and I admire it even more now.”
A second reviewer echoed: “This is a brilliant show! The wife and I have only just started watching this and both of us love it. Excellent writing, great storylines, beautiful locations. Makes us want to move to Shetland.”
A third praised the show, particularly Henshall’s performance as they gushed: “Wonderful!! Totally a must watch! Douglas Henshall – Totally in control. Amazing acting. Mature, balanced, powerful portrayal of the role. Demonstrating great character.”
Another wrote: “I was mesmerised from the very first episode. It’s so well done with wonderful characters and riveting cases: cases designed to last thru a whole season.”
Shetland is available to stream on BBC iPlayer