Shetland season 7 will be the last for Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez.
Primed to premiere next month on BBC One, his final investigation concerns the disappearance of a vulnerable young lad, drawing Perez into the secret past of a family new to the Scottish islands.
Season 8 has already been confirmed, too, with a casting announcement on its way at some point.
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"After series 5 of Shetland, [creator] David Kane and I decided we wanted to do 2 more series to complete the story of Jimmy Perez. So series 6 and 7 were commissioned together to give us time to wrap up Perez's story to a satisfactory end," revealed Henshall in his exit statement.
"It's been one of the privileges of my career to play Jimmy Perez for almost 10 years and to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera, and also to spend so much time in Shetland.
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"The Isles were so much a part of our show and of Perez himself. I'll miss him and the place. I wish everyone involved much luck with whatever happens next."
Meanwhile, BBC Drama executive producer Gaynor Holmes was full of warm words for the former Primeval star.
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"It has been an absolute privilege to work on Shetland over the past few years and watch the show go from strength to strength – in no small part thanks to Douglas's sensitive, intelligent and memorable portrayal of DI Jimmy Perez," said Holmes.
"We will miss him enormously but he leaves the show in rude health and we're extremely excited about the plans we have for bringing more of this much loved drama to audiences far and wide."
Shetland's seventh series will see Julie Graham returning as procurator fiscal Rhona Kelly, with series regulars Alison O'Donnell, Steven Robertson, Mark Bonnar, Anne Kidd, Lewis Howden, Erin Armstrong, Angus Miller and Anneika Rose all back as well.
Guest stars will include Patrick Robinson (Casualty and Death in Paradise) and Laurie Brett (EastEnders and Waterloo Road).
Shetland series 7 returns to BBC One very soon.
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Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
