JUSTICE DELAYED
AS PEREZ DELVES INTO A NEWLY REOPENED CASE, DOUGLAS HENSHALL TELLS US WHY THE TEAM ARE HEADING OVERSEAS…
Back in 2016, the third series of Shetland shook up its previously established formula – instead of two-part stories based on Ann Cleeves’ novels, it followed one brand-new case across the full six episodes. And despite the fact that its Friday night timeslot meant it was constantly having to leave two-week gaps between episodes to make room for live sporting events, viewers remained gripped by this new approach.
So, as the series returns this week for a new run, DI Jimmy Perez and his team of investigators tackle another major headscratcher…
“The idea that the writer wanted to explore was miscarriages of justice,” explains Douglas Henshall, who plays Perez. “About the complexity within that, and the way in which people are judged – how someone doesn’t have to be a likeable person to be innocent, and that’s the main surge of the story, really.”
The potential miscarriage of justice in question concerns Thomas Malone, whose conviction for the murder of teenager Lizzie Kilmuir is overturned after 23 years, forcing the team to reopen the investigation – though Malone isn’t entirely off their radar just yet. When they search for new leads, the case takes them off Shetland entirely as they follow a trail that leads them to Norway…
“It’s a strand of the story that may or may not turn out to be a red herring,” teases Douglas. “The story came to Glasgow last time, but it’s more interesting to explore east or further north, because the Shetland Isles are more concerned with what’s around them – and what’s around them is the Faroes, Iceland and Norway.”
Douglas was pleased with the shift in the storytelling approach for series three and beyond, as he thinks it gives the show more time to develop its characters.
“Two-hour procedurals are very difficult to do anything new with,” reasons the star. “Most of the time it’s about red herrings and whodunnits, and there’s no real time to explore the people or the world that you’re in – but that’s one of the things that makes crime procedurals interesting.
“We’ve tried to get bigger, stretch it a bit and explore it a bit more,” continues Douglas. “As long as we’re still doing that, I’ll be interested in doing it, because I like the character and there’s a lot more mileage to be had out of him!”
SOMEONE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKEABLE TO BE INNOCENT”