Shetland series 11: 'Filming locations are ultimately the star of the show'
It's visual eye candy without leaving the sofa!
Shetland is finally back on our TV screens with series 11, after what always feels like a long year without seeing our favourite characters – and those stunning filming locations – again.
The latest series of the popular murder-mystery centres on a historic murder. It will “forever change the lives of those connected in the present day”. As long-buried secrets rise from a watery grave, they send shockwaves through the community and beyond.
The team makes a grim discovery when they dredge a car from the water and find the skeletal remains of an unidentified man in the boot. The car belongs to Dr Raymond Linden, a respected local GP who fled the isles nine years ago.
As Calder and Tosh dig deeper to identify the victim in the car, they must delve into Raymond Linden’s state of mind and the lives of the loved ones he left behind. The investigation takes them to unexpectedly dark and dangerous places in their quest for the truth…
So what filming locations did cast and crew use for Shetland series 11, and is Lerwick a real place? Here’s everything you need to know.
Where is Shetland series 11 filmed?
As the name suggests, the detective drama is filmed in and around beautiful Shetland. Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. It’s the northernmost region of the UK.
Shetland’s main town Lerwick has featured in every series, as has the much-photographed Lodberries house which was previously the home of DI Jimmy Perez.
Other iconic locations include Bain’s Beach, Lerwick Harbour, Lerwick Town Hall and the sheriff court which doubles as the police station in the television show.
More stunning filming locations used in Shetland include Eshaness and the North Mainland, Burra, and the southernmost tip of Shetland’s Mainland, Sumburgh Head. Some of the filming also takes place on the Scottish mainland, most notably Glasgow, Greenock, Largs, Kilbarchan, and Lochwinnoch.
Appearing on BBC News in November, Ashley Jensen said: “The scenery is the main character. The real hero of the series is Shetland itself. But we film during 20 hours of daylight so I have to have my sleeping mask.”
Talking specifically about series 11, she added: “Shetland is the enduring appeal of the show. The location is ultimately the star of the show. For me, Shetland has it all — colourful, complex characters set against this extraordinary, beautiful landscape.”
Is Lerwick a real place?
Much of the exterior filming and setting takes place in and around Lerwick in Shetland, such as Commercial Street and the historic Lodberries waterfront. Locals will also recognise the area around Lerwick Sheriff Court on Hillhead, King Erik Street, King Harald Street, and St Olaf Street.
And, yes, Lerwick is very much a real place. It’s the main town and administrative centre of the Shetland Islands, with about 7,500 residents.
Dutch herring fishermen founded it in the 17th century. They took its name from the Old Norse word Leirvík, meaning “muddy or clay bay”. It replaced Scalloway as the capital of Shetland in 1708.
Key Lerwick landmarks include Fort Charlotte, a 17th-century pentagonal fort, and the Lerwick Town Hall. If you don’t live in Lerwick, and you’re not hunting famous Shetland spots, you’ll probably be visiting the annual Up Helly Aa Viking fire festival.
To get there, you can fly to Shetland, though flights land at Sumburgh Airport. The airport is located about 25 miles south of Lerwick.
Where is the police station filmed?
The exterior of the fictional police station is filmed at Lerwick Sheriff Court, which is located in the County Buildings on Hillhead/St Olaf Street in Lerwick.
Lerwick Sheriff Court – the district court – and the adjacent County Buildings serve as the outside façade and entrance in the series. It is a Category B listed building.
Cast and crew filmed the internal scenes in a studio in Glasgow. Of course, there is a real police station in Lerwick. But it wouldn’t be very practical for cast and crew to film there. You know, just in case there’s a real crime!
The Shetland series 11 filming locations ‘showcase these beautiful isles all over the world’
Actor Steven Robertson, who has played Sandy ever since series 1 in 2013, was actually born in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. He’s the only main cast member who’s a ‘local’.
Steven can actually drive to work from his own house, which he describes as “an absolute joy “. He continued: “The show has showcased these beautiful isles all over the world, but there is also a cultural exchange in another way – our crew come back time and time again, even when they’re not filming. They’ve made friends and connections which is great. We’ve had many locals involved as extras and working in lots of different departments of the crew. So it shows them that it is possible to work in TV and still live in Shetland.”
‘That’s the magic of television!’
Although Steven Robertson was filming close to his home town, it was a very different experience for Lewis Howden who plays former Sergeant Billy Mccabe.
Lewis has been in the cast of Shetland from the very start, but has hardly filmed on the Shetland Isles! In series 4, he filmed a scene outside the police station in Lerwick, but most of the time he’s “teased” for “being the one left behind in Glasgow while they’re away on location”.
He explained: “Apart from that one scene all those years ago, all my stuff has been filmed in studio – until season 10. So, it was wonderful to spend some time up on the Shetland Isles on location this series and be part of the on location filming experience. The teasing can finally stop now!”
In series 11, due to his demotion, he is now very much out of the studio and filming in the wilds of Shetland. Bad news for Billy, but great news for Lewis!
Meanwhile, Amandaland actor Samuel Anderson, who joined the cast as Procurator Fiscal Matt Blake in series 10, didn’t get close to Shetland at all!
When asked if he’d ever visited the Shetland Isles before, he said: “No… And I still haven’t! That’s the magic of television! All of my scenes are in the studio in Glasgow. So I didn’t actually go on location to the Shetland Isles. I have said that next series I want to get to the Shetland Isles even if it’s just to hand someone their jacket in a scene. I absolutely now have it on my list of places to visit.”
‘I’ll miss the magic and majesty of the place’
Alison O’Donnell, who plays Tosh for the last time in series 11, told us what she’ll miss most about filming on the Shetland Isles.
She said: “I’ll miss the magic and the majesty of the place. How the air feels different and nature and the landscape come to meet you in the most humbling and awe-inspiring way. I’ll also miss bringing my family and doing all our favourite trips, including the Sands of Sound beach.”
As for visiting again as a tourist in the future, she added: “I will absolutely visit. How could I not? I think I’ll need to leave it for a while, just to let myself settle. But I really look forward to coming up in a few years and taking my children back to all our favourite haunts and seeing what’s changed and what’s the same. And of course I’ll have the chance to call in on Steven and do some reminiscing. It’ll be nice to be there and just be a tourist!”
Key filming locations used in Shetland series 11 including Garth’s Ness
- The abandoned ruins of RAF Garth’s Ness, also known as the Garth’s Ness LORAN A station, feature as a filming location in Shetland series 11. The former radio navigation station was commissioned in 1961 as a “master” station and operated until December 31, 1977, before being officially decommissioned in January 1978. It is now enclosed by remnants of a barbed-wire perimeter and remains in a state of coastal decay while standing as a relic of Cold War military history.
- Cast and crew also filmed at Neap, a renovated five-bedroom coastal house located on a remote headland in North Nesting on the Shetland Mainland. You can even stay there, and it’s located 15 km from Tingwall Airport. The white-washed property sits on the isolated promontory of Neap, accessed via a single-track road leading from the hamlet of Brettabister. It is roughly a 20-minute drive north of Lerwick.
- The GP surgery where Dr Raymond Linden used to work was filmed at 20 Union Street in Greenock. Greenock is a town located on the southern shore of the Firth of Clyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Glasgow is the closest major city about 20 miles away. The detached, two-storey property is actually an office.
- In episode 1, Ruth meets Raymond’s brother in Convoy Cafe, which was actually filmed in the quiet village of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. It’s not a real cafe.
