OH, SHET!
Douglas Henshall issues stern warning to show bosses after Shetland exit
DOUGLAS Henshall has spoken out on Shetland's future following his exit as the lead character.
For over a decade, the 56-year-old portrayed Jimmy Perez in the BBC crime drama Shetland.
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Viewers were left devastated when he announced he would be stepping down from the role earlier this year as he thought his character's storyline was "coming to a natural end".
The eighth season of the gritty detective drama will have a new protagonist and Douglas issued a warning ahead of its release.
Douglas' final season of Shetland, series seven, left viewers on the edge of their seats for weeks as his character and DS Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh tried to solve their latest murder case.
Few details have been shared about the upcoming season and Douglas' official replacement is yet to be announced.
READ MORE ON SHETLAND
The BBC has confirmed the show will welcome a new lead who will be unveiled in due course.
It is also understood filming will start in spring 2023, with episodes arriving that year.
Discussing Shetland continuing following his exit, Douglas said: "I just hope they don't make a mess of it."
He considered with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday whether the show can work without Jimmy.
"To be honest, I thought we'd murdered enough people on a small island," Douglas said of his reason to leave the show.
"I think ten years is a very big chunk of time. I think we'd explored his personal story.
"I think all the ends of those threads were needing to be tied up in some way."
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On whether the show can exist without his character, Douglas explained: "I'm very happy that it's going on and I hope it does well.
"You know, it means that there's a lot more work for Scottish actors."
Shetland episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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