Shetland's Ruth Calder star opens up on major challenge while filming next series

Trailer for brand new BBC series Shetland

A new series of BBC's Shetland is set to land on TV screens on 6 November. The hit show has been off-air for nearly a whole year, with fans eagerly awaiting a new instalment.

The ninth series will see Ashley Jensen reprise her role as DI Ruth Calder. She will become the lead character of the show, taking over from DI Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall).

Jensen is joined by a star-studded cast, which includes Alison O'Donnell as DS Alison McIntosh, as well as The Responder's Ian Hart and Aquaman's Vincent Regan.

Other actors starring in Shetland include Lewis Howden, Anne Kidd and Steven Robertson.

The actress recently opened up about the new series, including challenges she faced during filming and what could be in store for her character.

Ashley Jensen stars in BBC's Shetland (Image: BBC )

She revealed that the weather posed a challenge during filming, saying: "The weather was a challenge. I mean, I've known cold when I've been filming but this this was something else. This is filming when it’s so cold your fingers had stopped working. We had heat pads in our pockets, our underwear and taped to our backs.

"We even had to put our hands in hot water in between takes to literally thaw them out. It's the only thing that would bring the feeling back into my fingers."

Despite the cold weather, the actress spoke fondly about her time in Shetland, describing the location as "breathtaking". She continued in interviews for the BBC: "As soon as you touch down, Shetland kind of envelops you. It’s the whole landscape, I mean the real star of the show is Shetland and the Shetland Isles…it's an inimitable place.

"It's like nowhere I've ever been before. It's a landscape that's arresting and breathtaking… it's just a real privilege to be able to go back there."

Ashley stars alongside Alison O’Donnell in the new series (Image: BBC)

Elsewhere, Ashley hinted at what's to come for DI Calder, who is now staying in Shetland indefintiely despite having previously resided in London.

"Calder’s decided to return to Shetland because it almost felt like there was unfinished business there, or a sort of magnetic draw back home. She's there to find out who she is which, I think, goes against all her previous instincts," she said.

"When she first came back during the last series, she thought that she’d be there to solve the case and then get away and get back to London, back to her life. But she’s experiencing that thing where home sometimes draws you back."

The ninth series of Shetland will begin airing on BBC One on 6 November and it's been confirmed that a tenth series is in the works.