BBC's Shetland drops season 8 trailer with new star after Douglas Henshall exit
Ashley Jensen looks focused and fraught in the first trailer for the new season of Shetland which sees her join the cast as detective Ruth Calder.
The 54-year-old Scottish actress has taken a leading role in the popular BBC police drama - taking over top billing after actor Douglas Henshall, who played Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez from 2013, stepped away from the show last year. The tense first trailer promises plenty of drama as an informant is murdered and an urgent hunt is launched to find a missing woman.
And it seems there is additional trauma for Ashley’s character as Detective Calder is seen confiding in detective sergeant Alison "Tosh" McIntosh, played by Alison O'Donnell, that she has returned home to Shetland having been born there. An official synopsis of the upcoming new season - which will be the eighth in the show’s history - offers an insight into the latest gripping mystery to rock the Scottish island.
The synopsis states: “DI Ruth Calder must return to her native Shetland to retrieve the vulnerable witness to a gangland murder.” Meanwhile, “Tosh must pause her investigation into a string of mysterious animal deaths to help Calder find the witness before it’s too late.
Ashley Jensen is leading the cast of Shetland in season 8 (BBC)“However, Calder’s hostility to Shetland will challenge Tosh’s view of her adopted home, and their journey into the darker recesses of Shetland’s past and present will test this fragile new partnership.” And fans won’t have too much longer to wait for new episodes to arrive as the upcoming season will start airing from Wednesday 1 November.
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Ashley - who reached global fame in 2006 when she joined the cast of American TV comedy drama Ugly Betty - has already expressed her delight at taking part in the BBC show. She told The Scotsman: “It's a real privilege to be asked to lead this show into a new chapter. It’s such a hugely successful show and I’m aware I have very big boots to fill since the departure of DI Perez, who was very much loved by fans.
“There will be a different dynamic with Ruth amongst the regular characters and a few more new interesting characters to enjoy. However the integrity of the show and the world that has been created will remain very much in the same tone as the last seven seasons.”
Ashley plays DI Ruth Calder and joins Alison O'Donnell as Alison "Tosh" McIntosh (BBC)And BBC commissioning editor Gaynor Holmes has previously promised fans that the show will be bigger and better than ever before. She said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to see Shetland return with such a stellar cast and a brand new, taut and thrilling murder mystery to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. We’re very excited to see the show embark on this fantastic new chapter, with its unique blend of haunting atmosphere, rich character and emotional storytelling.”
Meanwhile, outgoing star Douglas previously explained why he decided to bow out of Shetland after seven seasons. He told the BBC last year: "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. 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.
"I am aware we're not changing the world in any way, shape or form but as far as crime shows go, Shetland does really well in that genre. We tell stories that are very good, the characters are great and I wanted to go out on a high."
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