Shetland 10 starts on 5 November 2025

[IwantToRetire]

Forget about the fireworks, stay in as new series of Shetland starts next week!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lt9z

I think those of us who have stuck with Shetland through thick and thin, just about filled up the last thread which is here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4931718-shetland-season-8?page=40

Given how bad many 9pm slots have been recently this series may even be a pleasant surprise.

"Better paranoid than dead". You never fancied his chances, did you? Yeah, that was really bad. And as for Tosh, she gets worse every week; both the performance, and the character, who is clearly nowhere near being the boss of anybody.

And why is Tosh wearing à summer blouse? The interesting knitwear has all but disappeared.

Tosh seems to have two reactions to everything. Sad puppy eyes or all out Gormless. This series is not compelling at all.

She came across as incredibly callous and aggressive again.

Agree Calder is not great. The young lad had a signpost on his head.
But Billy. I’m gutted I cannae binge the series. I want to know if Billy is or isn’t bent and there have been no signs before so I’m hoping he’s just erred. But the money ….

Yes the actress playing Stevie was great, so was the one playing Morag. They both showed up how bad the others are.

Calder has made her mind up that it was Stevie so doesn't even consider it could be her sister! Which is my guess.

I almost switched off last night though, the poor acting from the Tosh and Ruth actresses really started to get annoying. Also the shouting/bullying/sarcasm was just tiresome. There's nothing likeable about either characters at the moment. I know Perez wasn't always likeable but he was played by a decent actor. the hammy acting from Tosh is getting worse.

Yes I think this series is really hampered by the fact that Calder is not likeable at all so I don’t care about her relationship with her brother / poet / brother of previous lover. I cared about Perez and his extended family - Duncan , possible love interests etc.

This has probably been mentioned before but there’s a new book with Perez as the character, can’t remember what it’s called at the moment but he now lives on Orkney in the book so hopefully we might get a tv adaptation. It would be nice

I think you

I saw that in Waitrose, so excited as I thought she had stopped writing Perez books and was concentrating on her others.

She could do a whole new series of Perez books!

keeps fingers crossed🤞🏻*

Oops posted too soon.
I think you are being a bit harsh on Tosh and Calder.
It’s not just Billy featuring more in this series. Sandy too is getting more scenes too.
Could the murderer be the mother of the pregnant girl ?
There are a few suspects !!

Sandy is constantly over-acting. Maybe I noticed it in previous series, but it’s quite jarring here. As if he’s constantly auditioning for a bigger role.

I like Calder's brother, think he could be her 'Duncan' but it's like they don't know what to do with him. He's a vicar, he comes into contact with so many people, just like Duncan did, there's so much potential there.

I like Sandy, always have. Steve Robertson is a good actor. So not sure what's going on with this series.

Yes, at the moment, after Calder’s first season, he’s just a slightly mournful, tufts-haired, Fair Isle-clad priest who occasionally brings things to her attention. (And has the world’s smallest services! That scene a season or two ago where Lisa the troublemaker burst through the kirk doors mid-service to tell him Angus was missing — there are about five people present.)

He needs a plotline. Maybe he should date someone who turns out to be a suspect. Or is Perez’s old flame Alice still on the island? I liked her.

Did you buy it? If you did, I hope you enjoy it!

I’m so glad other people are finally coming around to my disdain of Ruth Calder’s character and Ashley Jensen’s terrible acting! I feel (pettily) vindicated!

I felt the writing was at fault and forced Ashley Jensen to deliver unconvincing dialogue. There was absolutely no need for her to behave so aggressively to her (outstandingly and pointlessly beautiful) informant.

I could be mixing up the books with the TV version but Jimmy Perez didn’t start out as likeable and had plenty of dodgy behaviour on his sheet by the time he left. Its a standard trope of TV detectives that they break the rules for the “right” reasons. I like Ashley Jensen from other work, I don’t think the scripts have done her any favours at all.

I agree that her brother could well become her Duncan (and gruff detectives traditionally have an out-of-work sidekick to show a human side) but I don’t find her less likeable than most of the long running male detectives in their early seasons. Many of them have been decidedly unpleasant initially and only become lovable as we see their external lives and disastrous series of relationships.

No not yet, will wait for the paperback version to come out (and me to finish Watership Down)

Yeah - they after the stuff about his wife they don't seem to know what to do with him properly

It's a great book. Perez is now with Willow (who took over in Shetland when he was grief-stricken about Fran being murdered)

I think that the writing has failed to really connect Ruth to Shetland - with Perez he was made part of the community - Duncan, pubs, cafes, the school run etc. Whereas Ruth seems to live separately from everyone in her house.

It does seem to be pointing to Isobel now!

Although killing Eadie obviously wouldn't stop prevent Jess's baby from being adopted!

I suppose Billy being Robert's friend doesn't necessarily mean that his is/was bent, but probably let things go unnoticed that he shouldn't have!

Yes, I kept staring at him (Louden?) and imagining him shot in black and white in closeup for a designer aftershave ad instead of buying a fish supper on the docks or looking shifty in a seafood processing plant.

He’s ridiculously pretty, with unnervingly symmetrical features. He might be the best-looking police informant in any tv series, ever…

I want to like a strong female lead and support a female double hander but I agree with previous posters they haven’t grounded Calder as well and without those connections it feels ‘off’. Perez’s grumpiness and short temper was offset by his relationships with Cassie and Duncan. I also agree the brother is completely wasted.
only 2 episodes left … will the tourist couple come back or are they just dropped now ? Pregnant girls mum is a fairly famous actress which does often mean they have a key role and so far she’s been mainly in the very dark background ?