Shetland series 10: Who killed Eadie Tulloch? All the clues we have so far after episode 1
Who would target a vulnerable old lady...?
Shetland series 10 started off with a typically intriguing episode 1 involving the murder of a vulnerable old woman, a dozen suspects, a potential love interest for DI Ruth Calder, and a shocking arson attack.
The brilliant detective series returned to BBC One tonight (Wednesday, November 05, 2025) with a chilling new case, and a fabulous guest cast to boot.
Here’s a recap of what happened in the first episode, including what happened to murder victim Eadie Tulloch, who could have killed her, and why?
***Warning: spoilers from Shetland series 10 episode 1 ahead***
What happened in Shetland series 10 episode 1?
In the 10th series of the popular BBC drama, DI Calder and DI Tosh travelled to the isolated hamlet of Lunniswick to investigate the shocking murder of an elderly woman.
They discovered that the body of retired social worker Eadie Tulloch had been out in the elements for a number of days. She’d been strangled to death, but there were no defensive wounds.
The case will subsequently see Tosh and Calder examine the victim’s life, past and present, as well as the lives of everyone around her in the small village. And they soon “begin to uncover dark secrets and terrible deeds at the heart of this close-knit community”.
Who was the murder victim Eadie Tulloch?
Eadie Tulloch lived alone in the isolated hamlet of Lunniswick. An elderly retired social worker, she appeared to be a very unlikely murder victim.
She’d been married to Police Sergeant Robert Tulloch until his death, and had two sons. However, her son Craig “died young” during the storm while working on the Linty. The boat sank during the turbulence.
As the Shetland police began to investigate the death of the 76 year old, a picture of loneliness began to emerge. She had become a “hermit” and hadn’t been seen for a week before she died. Eadie had not spoken to her remaining son Ed, a poet, in years. Meanwhile, her old friend Arthur Mair was too busy caring for his ailing wife Lana.
Neighbour Colin Waite found the body at 8am, having popped around to bring her a care package of food. He told the police that he tried to visit whenever he could, because Eadie had “seemed to give up” and wasn’t taking care of herself properly. She’s been “living off her neighbours’ charity”.
David told police that she’d been “settling her affairs”. Did she know what was coming?
How is Billy McCabe connected to Eadie?
Shetland fans will know that Sgt Billy McCabe – played by Lewis Howden in the cast – has been a key character in the BBC One crime drama since 2013 when the series first started.
He plays a more central role in Shetland series 10, as he knew the murder victim. Billy knew Eadie through her husband Robert. Robert was Billy’s sergeant when he first started. Billy’s wife Morag became friends with Robert’s wife Eadie, and they worked together for several years as social workers.
In fact, Eadie had “set Billy and Morag up on their first date”.
Eadie had been head of social services until 10 years ago, when Morag took over. Billy explained: “Before he died, Robert made us promise to look out for Eadie.”
However, the upset police officer admitted he’s failed to keep his promised, and hadn’t seen Eadie for “months”.
Shetland series 10 episode 1: Who killed Eadie?
At this point, any of Eadie’s neighbours could be suspects. After all, this is a tiny village where “nobody locks their doors”. We also know that the back of the house, where Eadie’s body was found, was totally obscured from the road.
Calder and Tosh wondered aloud who would want to kill an old lady. Eadie had most likely been in bed. She was in her nightie, and there was no sign of struggle in the house. Calder said: “Why the effort of dragging her outside, tying her up, and posing her body?”
She was “led outside to be slaughtered”.
There were no signs of a robbery – nothing broken, and no signs of a disturbance. The shocking discovery of Eadie’s body “didn’t match what happened in the house”. However, we later discovered that Eadie had a whooping £400,000 in her bank account. Was this secret stash the motive?
During episode 1 of Shetland series 10, we discovered that Eadie was “a strong woman” who “wasn’t afraid to speak her mind”. Had she offended someone enough for them to want to kill her?
Did David Powell kill Eadie Tulloch?
Colin Waite turned Calder and Tosh’s focus to David Powell, who lived up the road from Eadie. He’s an anxious, young neighbour with a troubled past. He’d recently spent six months in a Glasgow prison for house-breaking. His overly protective mum, Gina, blocked all questions while trying to figure out what her son was hiding.
We also know his late dad was a local criminal, too, having been done for smuggling. And, despite what his mum thinks, David was sacked from his job for stealing the week before Eadie’s murder.
When David’s mum Gina discovered a stash of jewellery in his room, the evidence looked like it was mounting up… Not least because the police suspected David had been in Eadie’s house recently.
Of course, he’s the most suspicious character, which means it almost certainly won’t be him. He insisted he and Eadie were friends, and that she’d given him the jewellery as thanks for the tiling he’d done in her house.
In fact, his mother’s behaviour seemed more suspicious. If David is to be believed, Gina didn’t like Eadie. She told David “to stay away from her”.
The top suspects so far after episode 1 of Shetland series 10
Eadie’s poet son Ed must surely be a suspect. The pair were estranged because they “didn’t get along”. Despite running The Watergaw pub not too far away, he hadn’t spoken to his mum in “over a year or longer”.
Ed told Ruth Calder: “We argued about everything. It was bloody exhausting.” Of course, we all know that Ruth can relate, having had a tricky relationship with her own parents in the past.
Although Ed claimed to know nothing about his mum’s money, that remains to be proven.
All the residents of Lunniswick are suspects, with several holding back about their relationships with Eadie. Or could it be the “outsiders” who live in the holiday cottage? The Burnett family seem rather lovely, but we all know that means nothing in Shetland!
Chris Burnett revealed he saw someone in Eadie’s garden when they first arrived. He said they were young, probably male, and wearing a hoodie. They were “acting suspicious” and “ducked down quickly when they saw him”. Was this David trying to hide his friendship with Eadie from his mum, or someone else?
And is any of this linked to the tragic storm in the early 2000s that affected the small village, and killed several locals including Eadie’s own son?
Worth mentioning here that anyone who has ever watched Shetland before will probably know it’ll be the one person none of us have even thought of yet!
Why did Lana Mair set fire to Eadie’s house?
In the closing minutes of Shetland series 1o’s episode 1, viewers saw Lana Mair enter Eadie’s house with a petrol can.
She proceeded to pour fuel over Eadie’s armchair, before setting fire to it.
At this point, we have no clue why she would do such a thing. Is it the actions of a confused woman suffering from dementia? Or does she know something and is trying to destroy evidence?
Although it’s unlikely frail Lana is the murderer, she may know something crucial to the investigation…
Read more: Summerwater on Channel 4: ‘Tense’ new drama based on acclaimed novel gets November start date
