The highly-anticipated eighth series of the murder mystery Shetland returned to BBC tonight.
Following season seven’s cliffhanger finale, the long-awaited season eight of Shetland began airing at 8pm on BBC One, as well as becoming available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Season eight of the show, based on the novels by best-selling author Ann Cleeves and filmed across Shetland and Glasgow earlier this year, follow the detectives on the trail of a vulnerable witness, Ellen Quinn, to a London gangland murder.
This is the first season without Douglas Henshall, who played DI Jimmy Perez, with the show now anchored by Alison O’Donnell (DS Tosh McIntosh) and new lead Ashley Jensen, who plays DI Ruth Calder.
Familiar dramatic landscapes will still make an appearance throughout the new series, including Lerwick, which housed the show’s former lead detective, DI Perez – but where else are the stunning Scottish locations featured in season eight?
Authentic: Familiar dramatic landscapes will still make an appearance in the new series of Shetland, but where else are the stunning Scottish locations featured in the show? (Pictured: Alison O’Donnell as DS Tosh McIntosh and Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder in 2023)
Lerwick
Lerwick is Shetland’s capital and home to about 7,500 people, representing nearly one-third of Shetland’s population.
The town and port is situated on the east coast of the Mainland, overlooking the island of Bressay to the east.
The Market Cross on Lerwick’s Commercial Street is one of the many filming locations. Commercial Street has featured in every series of Shetland and will no doubt feature once more in the eighth season.
The picturesque waterfront has and will continue to play host to several dramatic scenes – usually at night, when all is still and quiet, adding an extra layer of drama.
DI Jimmy Perez’s waterside home is perhaps the most recognisable location of the show and was filmed in two locations.
The exterior of the house was filmed on Lerwick’s Commercial Street, while the interior was filmed on set in Glasgow.
Infamous: The picturesque waterfront of Lerwick has and will continue to play host to several dramatic scenes – usually at night, when all is still and quiet, adding an extra layer of drama.
Serene: Lerwick is Shetland’s capital and home to about 7,500 people, representing nearly one-third of Shetland’s population
Top location: DI Jimmy Perez’s (left) waterside home is perhaps the most recognisable location of the show and was filmed in two locations, with one being Commerical Street in the town
Eshaness and the North Mainland
Blasted by the full force of the North Atlantic, Eshaness is an exposed peninsula in the north-west Mainland, about an hour’s drive from Lerwick.
The picturesque cliffs of Eshaness was used in several series’ so far and saw its fair share of murder, mystery and intrigue.
Many North Mainland communities have featured in different series of the BBC show, including Brae, Voe and Hillswick.
The villages are likely to appear once more in season eight, as the producers frequently use the areas for scenic shots and as a location for darker storylines.
North Atlantic coastline: Blasted by the full force of the North Atlantic, Eshaness is an exposed peninsula in the north-west Mainland, about an hour’s drive from Lerwick
Natural beauty: The northwest coastline is dramatically beautiful, a fair reason as to why producers frequently use the area for scenic shots in Shetland
Crime on the cliffside: The picturesque cliffs of Eshaness was used in several Shetland series’ so far and saw its fair share of murder, mystery and intrigue
Trondra and Burra
Trondra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands, with a population of around 135 people, according to Visit Shetland.
Neighbouring Scalloway and Burra serve the community, and the Trondra Community Hall regularly hosts Sunday Teas throughout the summer months.
Burland Croft in Trondra was one of the central filming locations in series two. The croft was the fictional home of Evie Henderson and her husband, John.
The isle of Burra hosts the fictional village of Skellwick, with locations from the area used in both series two and five.
In June of this year, Shetland News confirmed that film crews were set to shoot scenes for the new series in Burra.
Location manager Davie Gardner said: ‘We will be filming at a property in Meadows Road, Houss, East Burra – and possibly on the road itself between the hours detailed above.’
Stunning: Trondra is one of the Scalloway Islands in the Shetland Islands, with a population of around 135 people
Idyllic isle: The isle of Burra hosts the fictional village of Skellwick, with locations from the area used in both series two and five, and further locations in East Burra used in the new series
Where else is the new season filmed?
According to The Shetland Times in March 2023, most of the interior scenes for the eighth series were shot in Glasgow, with frantic senior crew members preparing to begin filming at the time ‘unable to comment’ on the new series’ port city locations.
The Clydebank Post, based in Scotland’s west Central Lowlands, reported earlier this year, on March 30, that film crews had set up base on a busy street in Clydebank.
Production teams were spotted setting up filming equipment and refreshments for the day on Kilbowie Road in the Scottish town, which is only eight miles from Glasgow.
Shetland News then reported on March 31 that production crews were migrating north to the isles to begin filming in Tingwall, located mostly on the Shetland mainland.
For two days, the main filming locations in the Tingwall Valley area were ‘the kirk’ – built in the late 1780s and is known as the ‘mother church of Shetland’ – and a house situated opposite the former place of worship.
The outlet also reported in June that filming was taking place at Spiggie Beach – also known at Scousburgh Sands – for six hours, with the production’s support unit located at the Scalloway Harbour for the duration.
Action! Production teams were spotted setting up filming equipment and refreshments for the day on Kilbowie Road in the Scottish town of Clydebank, only eight miles from Glasgow
Historic: The main filming locations in the Tingwall Valley area were ‘the kirk’ – built in the late 1780s and is known as the ‘mother church of Shetland’ – and a house opposite the church
Ashley Jensen ‘blown away’ by Shetland’s stunning landscape
According to BBC News, Ashley Jensen, the new star of the hit crime drama, had never been to the Shetland Islands before she arrived to film the new series in April.
The Scottish actress said she was ‘blown away’ by the landscape when she first arrived, saying: ‘The view I had when I came into land was just like nothing I’d ever seen before.’
She added: ‘I think I was a bit dumbfounded. I’m a bit of a talker but it shut me up. I just soaked in this landscape.’
Kate Bartlett, Executive Producer for Silverprint Pictures confirmed of the new season: ‘We’re so excited about this new series of Shetland with Ashley and Alison and all our wonderful returning and guest cast.
‘Paul Logue has created a distinctive and emotionally complex story, set against the stunning and evocative landscape of the Shetland Isles.’
Visit Scotland’s manager for Shetland, Steve Mathieson, said in June that the show’s impact has been phenomenal for tourism.
He said surveys show 38% of leisure tourists who visit were influenced by a TV series – with 87% of that figure claiming it was the Shetland series that encouraged them to see the isles for themselves.
Stunned: Ashley Jensen (left, alongside Alison O’Donnell) had never been to the Shetland Islands before she arrived to film the new series in April, and was ‘blown away’ by the landscape