Island life
Off the north-east coast of Scotland there are some islands that will be forever known as the deadliest on the TV planet. Donal O’Donoghue investigates
I’ve never been to Shetland. And I don’t think I will be heading there any time soon either. Seems like the homicide rate on the Scottish archipelago is higher than the meanest streets of Narcos. Of course I should add that my knowledge of these islands, perched far o the NE coast of Scotland, is based entirely on a TV show. Shetland (new season starts this week on BBC) is grim stu . It’s also bloody brilliant.
Shetland, total population of 47 people and about 5,000 sheep (again my information is based entirely on TV evidence), should look picture-postcard idyllic and probably does in a certain light but not in the brooding endof-days backdrops that the BBC are pitching at us. Here all is tinted with murderous intent and casual menace; even the sheep look like they are entertaining bad thoughts. As for the law of the land, played with doughty endurance by the great Doug Henshall (as DI Jimmy Perez), well, just be glad he’s on your side.
Perez has a face as weather-beaten as the surrounding landscape, corrugated with anxiety and weary with worry (and who could blame him with everybody getting murdered hereabouts). On this fair isle the crimes are as twisted as anything those designer furniture-loving Scandis could dream up, and the grisly stories (penned by award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves) are blessed with guest actors to make them burn brightly; including in previous seasons Sean MacGinley as a shady ex-cop and Brian Cox as a beleaguered hermit.
at’s the thing about Shetland and its ilk. While everyone was banging on about Scandi noir ( e Killing this and e Bridge that), Celtic noir was quietly carving out its own slice of turf in the thriller-dom with Hinterland (Wales), Corp + Anam (Ireland) and Shetland (Scotland) giving us the dirty weather, the dodgy haircuts and the convoluted plots. As for chunky knit sweaters, there are plenty of jumpers in Shetland, the life work of herds of sheep, that would leave e Killing’s wardrobe in the ha’penny place.
Now a h season of Shetland hoves into view and good old Doug looks as tortured as ever: and why wouldn’t he be? A er all, someone has just found a severed hand on a local beach, organised crime is raising its head and the local sheep know nada. No, this h season of Shetland will be the closest I ever get to Shetland. And that’s close enough.
Shetland starts on BBC One on February 12.