Tonight (Friday 2nd December) sees the debut of new BBC Scotland drama Granite Harbour, which follows trainee detective and army veteran Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) as he investigates a complicated murder case in Aberdeen.

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Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of the launch, the cast were asked if the show might invite comparisons with another popular murder drama set in Scotland: Shetland.

But they explained that this new drama was sufficiently different from the long-running series to stand out on its own – in part due to a difference in tone.

"They’re quite different," said star Dawn Steele, who plays DCI Cora MacMillan in Granite Harbour. "This is pre-watershed. Shetland is a bit grittier. I wouldn't say they were that similar."

"What Granite Harbour has going for it is the specificity of the story," explained Bhav Joshi, who stars AS DI Jaiyush Mallick. "Of being about a soldier coming from the army and settling into life in Aberdeen as part of this scheme that retrains soldiers to then become detectives.

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"That’s the point of difference between Shetland and this. It might have similarities, it might have differences, but I guess that’s for people to decide by themselves."

And Romario Simpson added: "I think it’s great if people compare the two because it will shed light on the production and Aberdeen."

Hannah Donaldson, Bhav Joshi and Romario Simpson in Granite Harbour
Hannah Donaldson, Bhav Joshi and Romario Simpson in Granite Harbour. BBC

The synopsis for the first episode reads: "Having completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police, Lance Corporal Davis Lindo dreams of being a detective at New Scotland Yard.

"However, he finds himself being sent to train as a detective constable in the north-east of Scotland and must quickly adapt to a new life a world away from anything he has known before.

"When an Aberdeen oil magnate dies in mysterious circumstances, trainee detective Lindo is thrown in at the deep end and forced to navigate a city and force completely alien to him."

Additional reporting by Abby Robinson

Granite Harbour premieres on BBC One at 7pm on Friday 2nd December 2022.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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