DI Ruth Calder is a native Shetlander who has spent the past 20 years working for the Metropolitan Police Department in London. Ashley Jensen will play the role of DI Ruth Calder on the show.
When it returns to its home on the BBC the following year, the multi-award-winning murder mystery thriller Shetland will feature a new leading actor.
The British actor fills the void left by Douglas Henshall, who portrayed DI Jimmy Perez for seven seasons of the show. The job of the principal detective was formerly held by Henshall.
Jensen expressed that she could not be more “totally excited” about joining the show.
The actress, now 53 years old, was born in Annan, which is located in the county of Dumfriesshire. Her big break came in 2005 when she appeared in Extras alongside Ricky Gervais.
She went on to play recurring roles in the television series Ugly Betty in the United States before making her way back to the United Kingdom to play parts in shows such as Agatha Raisin and Catastrophe.
In 2019, she appeared alongside Ricky Gervais in the comedy series After Life, which was produced by Netflix.
Beginning in the spring, the next season of Shetland will be filmed in several locations across Scotland and on Shetland itself.
As a result of this, Jensen will become a series regular with other actors like Alison O’Donnell (who plays DS Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh), Steven Robertson (who plays Sandy), Lewis Howden (who plays Billy), and Anne Kidd (Cora).
Jensen said: “With Ruth interacting with the other main characters, the dynamic of the story will shift, and there will be a few more intriguing new characters for readers to get to know and love.
“Despite this, the integrity of the show and the world that has been established will continue to be presented in a manner that is largely consistent with the tone of the previous seven seasons.
“Being invited to steer this show into a new phase is an incredible honor,” said the candidate.
The critically acclaimed novel written by Andrew O’Hagan was adapted for the screen by Andrea Gibb, and Jensen is presently filming Mayflies for the BBC.
Production is currently underway in and around Glasgow and Ayrshire, Scotland.
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