‘We keep being AMBITIOUS'

Douglas Henshall on Jimmy Perez’s new case, and the secrets to his drama’s success…

- STEVEN PERKINS

Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is having an extremely difficult day when BBC1’s Scottish noir murder mystery Shetland returns for a much-anticipated sixth series this week.

As he attends his mother’s funeral on Fair Isle, the brooding cop notices that all is not well with his father – and a call informing him of the doorstep murder of an influential local resident summons him abruptly back to work.

But while his character understandably has little to be cheerful about, leading man Douglas Henshall, 55, is all smiles as he joins TV Times for a video call from the stunning Shetland Isles, where he’s busy filming the seventh series, set to air next year.

Having played DI Perez since 2013, Douglas’ affection for the show is obvious throughout our interview as he reveals what lies ahead in the new six-parter and beyond…

What can you tell us about DI Perez’s latest case?

A very prominent and well-loved local is murdered right outside their front door. We set off to investigate what’s obviously a very big deal, because he’s such an important person.

The personal side of it for Perez is that his mum’s died, so that hangs over him throughout the whole of the season. Also, his dad’s got the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, so that’s a progressive thread throughout the story as well. There’s quite a lot of family stuff going on for Perez this year.