Douglas Henshall's final season of Shetland may still be yet to air, but the actor is already looking ahead to his next role – and it seems he wants to branch out after almost 10 years as DI Jimmy Perez.
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In an interview ahead of the crime drama's seventh season, Henshall said that he doesn't "fancy playing a policeman for a while" and instead would "love to play a baddie again".
Henshall said: "That would be fun – I used to get asked to be the baddie lots in the past. I don’t know what the future holds."
He also explained that while he is sad to leave the role, "it will be nice to play somebody who isn’t so irredeemably good as Perez!"
Douglas Henshall in Shetland season 7 BBC
He continued: "I’ll miss him as a person I crawl into every now and again because I liked him, he’s a nice man. I enjoyed playing Perez and exploring the complications of his life. Flawed humans are always the most interesting to play because I feel they are the most truthful."
Henshall announced his exit from the popular series in July, saying that "It’s been one of the privileges of my career to play Jimmy Perez for almost 10 years and to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera, and also to spend so much time in Shetland."
Season 7 of Shetland is set to start next week, and the first episode will see Perez investigating the disappearance of a vulnerable young man whose family are new to Shetland.
Shetland season 7 begins on 10th August 2022 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.Ann Cleeves's Shetland novels are available to buy now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
