Douglas Henshall sparks reaction as he reflects on Shetland role in new social media post
Former Shetland star Douglas Henshall has sparked a reaction from his fans after reflecting on his time working on the series.
Taking to Twitter, the actor revealed that he had bought a painting of a street in Shetland by artist Neil Macdonald, which reminded him of the years he spent starring in the popular crime drama.
Sharing a snap of the stunning artwork, he wrote in the caption: "I bought this wonderful painting by Neil Macdonald to remind me of a decade visiting and working in Shetland."
Viewers of the programme may recognise the scene as Bain's Beach in Lerwic, which is often featured on the show and provides a backdrop for scenes where Douglas' character DI Jimmy Perez drinks whiskey with Duncan [Mark Bonnar].
Taking to the comments section, fans couldn't help but praise Douglas' portrayal of the beloved detective and said how much they miss seeing him on screen. One person wrote: "A fitting reminder of your fabulous performance as Jimmy Perez. We truly enjoyed watching Shetland over the past years and your presence will be missed in future seasons. Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us!" while another added: "Lovely! I will miss you and am looking forward to seeing what they do next."
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A third fan tweeted: "Beautiful painting. I loved your work in the series. You brought such dimension to Jimmy Perez, nailing how anger and pain can underline profound grief and thwart moving forward."
Shetland's seventh season marked Douglas' final outing in the lead role, with actress Ashley Jensen set to take over as Met Police Detective Inspector Ruth Calder in season eight.
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Speaking about why he decided to step away from the role, the Glasgow-born star explained that he felt it was the "right time" to wrap up Jimmy's story in order to avoid ruining "the things that were unique" to the series and the character.
"I decided to leave a few years ago because I felt that Perez's story was coming to a natural end - it was time to find a resolution to Perez's private life," said the 57-year-old when his exit was announced in July 2022. "I never wanted to ruin the things that were unique to him and our series so it felt like the right time to wrap up his story in a way that would be satisfactory to everybody.
"I am aware we're not changing the world in any way, shape or form but as far as crime shows go, Shetland does really well in that genre. We tell stories that are very good, the characters are great and I wanted to go out on a high."
While fans won't be seeing Douglas reprise his role as Jimmy Perez anytime soon, they can look forward to watching him in Netflix's new action series, titled Who Is Erin Carter?.
The actor is also set to appear in the BBC's upcoming Agatha Christie adaptation, in which he will play the role of Major Horton alongside Downton Abbey star Penelope Wilton, Rye Lane's David Jonsson and his former Shetland co-star, Mark Bonnar.
Filming on the two-part series, which is based on the novel Murder Is Easy, is underway.