Shetland viewers issue same complaint about season 9

The BBC’s hit crime drama Shetland continued with its ninth season on Wednesday night and while fans are loving the new storyline, some couldn’t help but make a complaint about the show. 

The series follows DI Ruth Calder and DI ‘Tosh’ McIntosh, played by Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell, as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of Tosh’s friend, Annie Bett. 

Warning! Spoilers ahead for episode two.

While fans were gripped by the second episode, which saw DI Calder and DI McIntosh delve into the murders of Annie and a mysterious Frenchman called Anton Bergen, some shared their disappointment about having to wait one week between episodes.

One person penned: “I know it’s a small thing, but it really narks me that #Shetland doesn’t go on the iPlayer at 9pm like most dramas do,” while another remarked: “Wish #Shetland was available on #bbciplayer I can’t remember what’s happened, and the recap was no help.”

A third person wrote: “So today I am mostly going to be sulking that #Shetland is not available to binge watch on @BBCiPlayer. Don’t want to wait another week for the next instalment,” while another joked: “Having to watch one episode each week like it’s 1983 or something.”

Despite the show’s scheduling, fans were full of praise for the compelling storyline, which saw Annie and mathematics professor Euan Rossi revealed as spies. 

One person wrote: “#Shetland is by far the best thing on TV right now. Fantastic,” while another hailed the latest instalment as “one of the best” of the entire series. “One of the best #shetland episodes that. Loved it,” they penned. 

© ITV Studios / Robert Pereira Hind / BBC

A third fan remarked: “Ooo, the plot is thickening #shetland.”

For those yet to catch up on the new season, it follows Calder and Tosh as they investigate the disappearance of a local woman and Tosh’s friend, Annie Bett.

They discover that accountant Annie is “estranged from her husband, Ian, and has been staying with mussel farmer John Harris and his two sons, Patrick and Fergus”. But when the detectives investigate, there’s no sign of Annie.

© Robert Pereira Hind

As they investigate further, they’re led to Professor Euan Rossi, who “claims to have been Annie’s Oxford University tutor many years ago”. It’s soon revealed that Rossi travelled to Shetland after receiving a distressed voicemail from Annie the night she vanished. 

The synopsis continues: “Meanwhile, at the station, Calder delves deeper into another case involving a deadly argument between two brothers.

“The missing persons investigation draws Tosh and Calder into a web of lies and when a bloodied person turns up at a remote garage, nothing can prepare the team for what lies ahead.”

© Jamie Simpson

Speaking about the plot, leading lady Ashley said it’s “a very complex web“. 

“In fact, I decided that I wasn’t going to find out who the murderer was,” she said. “So, for the first three episodes I felt like I was really in Calder’s shoes. I was looking at people through the character’s eyes thinking, ‘What are you giving me?’. Then I would leave a scene and quickly look back around again, just to see if somebody was doing something they shouldn’t have been behind the coppers’ backs after we’d gone!”