to think Shetland isn't as good as The Killing

[coatonarack]

Not nearly enough Shetland jumpers. Or ponies. At least Sarah Lund wandered around in Hunter wellies a lot.

It was slow, bit like the books. I was brought up in Shetland and am back living here. The pace of life is slower. Accents were well dodgy, even Sandy Wilson's; too much knapping!
Shetland has spectacular scenery, and the Up Helly Aa procession is amazing to witness.
Was fun spotting friends as extras!

The way they filmed the Up Helly Aa was very atmospheric.

There are some excellent photos of Up Helly Aa on Promote Shetland and the Shetland Wildlife facebook pages. If its atmosphere you want definitely take a look.

For CoatonarackThis has got to be my favourite picture of all, Shetland Jumpers AND ponies!

Oh saggyold - that is so fantastic! I want them in my garden.

As my 5 year old would say, "ssssooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!"

I might have to buy a Shetland jumper. We've just finished the Killing box sets and my husband is pining.

Its lovely isnt it! I have shitlands and Id adore one if those! Itd be great for fancy dress at shows!

I liked it. I think the whole book thing is just because it's hard to get original screenwriting filmed in this country... the book was just a framework, it was never supposed to be a film 'of' the book.

I liked that it was the less obvious perpetrator too. Ronald would have been too obvious.

AAh, you see, in the book there are lots of twists and turns. The killer was such a big suprise I nearly dropped the book!
I get what you mean about screen writing, but if you arent going to stick to the actual plot even remotely, then why not just write something original?!

I enjoyed the two parter. And I'm still laughing at folk feeling they needed subtitles () to watch it. It wasn't that difficult to understand!!

I think the Beeb does have talented directors ( I enjoyed Call the Midwife, think Steven Moffat is a brilliant director and writer - not just on Doctor Who, Silent Witness good too - there are others but these spring immediately to mind and cover a range of drama on BBC now).

Re Scottish accents/ local dialect - I am Scottish, with Scottish parents/grandparents going back, well forever afaik, dh is Irish with mainly Irish ancestors. We've always lived in Scotland , since we married, but moved a fair bit - my dc do not have local accents, some people think my ds (he has autism), nearly 9, is English. I sound Scottish, but I don't have a local to anywhere accent, because I have lived all over Scotland. So I don't think local school children would all speak in dialect.

I want a pair of Viking horns

A lady who ran a hotel where we stayed in west Scotland sounded to me like she came from Cumbria, but she was born not far from the hotel and had lived in the area all her life.

I watched the first half hour and the last half hour and enjoyed it, I liked the fact it was slow. Douglas Henshall is quite attractive too which is quite strange to say after seeing him as a ghostly sadistic school teacher in his last TV offering.

Also there were some little witty bits which I liked, wasn't too deadpan and serious. Like his daughter saying "Dad - pasta should be served al dente!"

"You can eat it al fresco if you like."

Just finished watching it and I wasn't overly impressed but not as dissapointed as I thought I was going to be.

Also realised that I saw all the Up Helly Aa bits being recorded and believe it or not that was recorded in June!!

Aaaah Shetland weather not something I really miss!

Cant be worse than what we have been getting in north Essex recently! Fecking weather!

I was disappointed by it. I grew up in a rural area (not Shetland) and if two murders had happened, the whole place would have been ablaze - there would have been no teenage sulking about not going out at night! Nothing felt real, the characters, the reactions, nothing. However the accents were not a problem - do those who struggled have difficulty with American accents on TV too?

I was in Sussex in July and had worse weather than in the Up Helly Aa scenes...

I can't believe the mobile signal in Bressay is so dodgy. An obvious plot device IMO.

You are right choco Bressay has a fabulous mobile signal.

IIRC Mima actually lived on Whalsay. Would that make the bad signal more believable?

No it was definitely Bressay where they had set her, the ferry leaves direct from Lerwick just over the way and we saw him on it several times.

Yes, but Ann Cleeves wrote her as living on Whalsay. The dodgy mobiles is a plot device based on that location.

Well they should have bloody shot it on Whalsay then instead of on Bressay. They even referred to her as living on Bressay in the programme

Lazy gits it's only half an hour up the road from Lerwick to the Whalsay ferry!

I know. The whole programme was shot full of holes. I recommend the books though. Far far better! What did you think of my holiday plans btw?