Shetland confirms air date for Douglas Henshall's last season
Henshall announced season 7 would be his last as DI Jimmy Perez.
It's the end of an era. The BBC's long-running crime drama Shetland is losing its lead, with DI Jimmy Perez set to return to our screens for one last season on Wednesday 10th August at 9pm.
Played by Douglas Henshall for seven seasons, Perez has spent almost a decade solving crimes across Scotland's striking Shetland islands. It's unclear at this stage how the writers will bring about the end of his tenure, and who will replace him for the confirmed eight season.
Henshall's exit, and Perez's absence, would mark a clear departure from the Ann Cleeves novels the series is based on, which centre around Perez's life, both personal and professional.
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Henshall announced he was quitting Shetland after almost a decade in the role earlier this month. He explained: “After series 5 of Shetland, [writer] David Kane and I decided we wanted to do two more series to complete the story of Jimmy Perez. So series 6 and 7 were commissioned together to give us time to wrap up Perez's story to a satisfactory end.
"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."
Henshall added: "The Isles were so much a part of our show and of Perez himself. I’ll miss him and the place. I wish everyone involved much luck with whatever happens next."
At this stage, all is very much in the air. We'll have to wait until next month to see if the show takes a Death in Paradise approach and brings in a fresh face, or gives the lead detective role to one of the existing Shetland cast members.
Shetland season 7 begins on 10th August 2022 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Ann Cleeves's Shetland novels are available to buy now.
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