What To Expect From Shetland Series 10

Cops with mysterious pasts on a blustery island? Sounds like a hit. And Shetland has proved to be a success for a whopping nine series now, second only to Happy Valley‘s viewership figures in 2023. Beginning in March 2013 with a a two episode series based on Ann Cleeves’ novel Red Bones, the ninth series kicked off last autumn, led by Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder and Alison O’Donnell as DI Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh, who took over from Detective Inspector Jimmy Pérez (Douglas Henshall) from series 8 onwards.

As O’Donnell says: ‘Calder and Tosh are really complementary. They have quite distinctive policing styles but between them they’ve got everything covered. I also find their relationship to be down-to-earth and relatable. The comedy flourishes that the writers give us are a lovely counterpoint to the darkness of the drama and we always have a lot of fun with those.’

So what can we expect from our female duo in series 10? Here’s everything we know so far.

DI Ruth Calder (ASHLEY JENSEN);DI ‘Tosh’ McIntosh (ALISON O’DONNELL) in Shetland series 10. (BBC/Silverprint Films/Jamie Simpson)

Shetland Series 10: Plot, Cast, Release Schedule & More

The BBC renewed Shetland for series 9 and 10 concurrently in March 2024, with filming once again whisking cast members to the UK’s northernmost region. Upon the news, star O’Donnell shared she ‘could not be happier that Shetland is returning for two more series’ and was ‘so excited to get started’.

‘I’m really proud of the journey this show has been on and of the way it continues to evolve and grow in exciting and surprising ways,’ O’Donnell added. ‘That we have managed to grow such a loyal and supportive viewership is a dream come true. Ashley [Jensen, who plays Detective Ruth Calder] and I just scratched the surface of our dynamic in Series 8 and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to build on that. I can’t wait to see what Paul [Logue, lead writer] and the team have in store for us next.’

DC Sandy Wilson (STEVEN ROBERTSON), DI Ruth Calder (ASHLEY JENSEN), Tom Jameson (NIALL MACGREGOR), Isobel Jameson (LOUISE BREALEY) & PC Lorna Burns (EUBHA AKILADE) in Shetland series 10. (BBC/Silverprint Films/Jamie Simpson)

What Will Happen?

According to the BBC, Shetland series 10 will see Calder and Tosh drawn to remote village Lunniswick on their north Scotland archipelago following the sinister murder of an elderly woman – retired social worker Eadie Tulloch. Her body has been exposed to the elements for a number of days, and when Calder and Tosh begin their investigation, an image of isolation emerges: Eadie hadn’t spoken to her son Ed in years, and her old friend Arthur was too busy caring for his sick wife Lana and dealing with his heavily pregnant granddaughter to visit Eadie.

But an attentive local directs the cops’ attention to David Powell, an anxious neighbour of Eadie’s with a troubled past and an overly protective mother, Gina, who blocks all questions from the police. Meanwhile she launches her own investigation to see what her son is hiding.

Suspecting the tight-knit residents of Lunniswick were closer to Eadie than they are letting on, Calder and Tosh begin to pick holes in their stories and shocking long-buried secrets finally unravel. Add a surprising personal link into the mix for one of the team, and we have another gripping turn on the Shetland isles.

‘The fictional village of Lunniswick is typical of Shetland,’ says O’Donnell. ‘Scattered houses lining a beach, the neighbours well acquainted with one another and the land they live on. It is rich in history, relationships and secrets which I really loved as a central focus of the mystery. There was so much to play with, so much to unpack. As the investigation progresses, we get deeper and deeper into the lives of those who live there and the history of the place. It was very satisfying.’

Jensen adds this series is ‘a little more insular rather than the expansive locations of last year’. ‘We’ve really come into the nucleus of the small hamlet of Lunniswick and used a real-life town as our location,’ she says. ‘It’s very much a small community where everybody knows each other’s business. The series opens with the murder of a woman from this community and, of course, the houses back on to each other, everybody’s peeping from their curtains and everyone’s kind of involved in each other’s lives – whether they want to be or not.

‘For me, this series is the best storyline out of the three I’ve been involved in,’ Jensen adds. ‘I love the detail of this one and the fact that all the locals are suspects in the murder case.’

DC Sandy Wilson (STEVEN ROBERTSON) in Shetland series 10. (BBC/Silverprint Films/Jamie Simpson)

The Cast

Like many cop dramas, Shetland has a core cast but each instalment also comes with a slew of new faces as a new investigation is mounted. At the fore we have our leading duo: Alison O’Donnell as DI Alison ‘Tosh’ Macintosh and Ashley Jenson as DI Ruth Calder. They’re joined by supporting cast members Steven Robertson as Sandy, Lewis Howden as Sgt Billy McCabe and newcomer Samuel Anderson as Matt Blake, the new Procurator Fiscal in town (similar to England and Wales’ Crown Prosecution Service). He describes O’Donnell and Jensen as ‘one of the best duos I’ve worked with for sure, hands down – they can switch it on and switch it off at the drop of a hat which is a skill I’ve always wanted to sharpen and hone myself,’ adding Shetland has ‘that combination of brilliant writing, stunning locations and an incredible cast’.

They’re joined by a new cast of guest characters – our Lunniswick residents. The full cast is as follows:

• Alison O’Donnell as DI Alison ‘Tosh’ Macintosh
• Ashley Jenson as DI Ruth Calder
• Steven Robertson as Sandy
• Lewis Howden as Sgt Billy McCabe
• Samuel Anderson as Matt Blake
• Clive Russell as Arthur Mair
• Ellie Haddington as Lana Mair
• Niall Macgregor as Tom Jameson
• Louise Brealey as Isobel Jameson
• Lila Rose as Jess Jameson
• Greg Mchugh as Colin Waite
• Frances Grey as Gina Powell
• Stephen Mcmillan as David Powell
• Stuart Townsend as Edward ‘Ed’ Tulloch
• Eubha Akilade as PC Lorna Burns

DI Ruth Calder (ASHLEY JENSEN) & DI ‘Tosh’ McIntosh (ALISON O’DONNELL) in Shetland. (BBC/ITV Studios/Robert Pereira Hind)

Release Date

A November tradition, Shetland returns for series 10 from 9pm on Wednesday 5 November 2025 on BBC One. Catch up with all 10 series on BBC iPlayer.

In the US, Shetland is available to stream on Britbox.