Shetland: What happened to Lewis Howden's character Billy McCabe and why he was demoted from Sergeant to PC
Things are very different for fan favourite Billy in series 11
Shetland is back with a series 11 this week, and fans of Lewis Howden’s Sergeant Billy McCabe will see his fortunes greatly reduced…
For starters, he’s not a sergeant anymore. As the new six-part series kicks off (Thursday, November 12), Billy is back to being a PC on rota. Gone is the comfy desk job. Now, he’s out in all weathers policing Shetland. And we all know the weather in Shetland can be pretty brutal!
So what happened to Billy McCabe in Shetland series 10, what did he do, and why has he been demoted in series 11? Here’s a recap ahead of the new series…
***Warning: spoilers from Shetland series 11 ahead***
What did Sergeant Billy McCabe do wrong in Shetland?
Lewis Howden’s Billy McCabe has been a regular presence in BBC One crime drama Shetland ever since the very first series in 2013.
Crucially, he has always been Tosh’s mentor. So it came as quite the surprise to her – and viewers – when series 10 cast doubt over his virtuous character.
Shetland series 10 delivered quite the curveball, throwing the shadow of doubt on fan favourite Sgt Billy McCabe. The team investigated the murder of retired social worker, Eadie Tulloch. Her husband Robert Tulloch was a police officer, and it turns out he was a corrupt bully.
Sandy and Tosh discovered that Robert Tulloch was a corrupt police officer and was taking bribes. He wasn’t afraid of framing people either…
And that’s where Billy came in, as their investigation threw Billy’s previously impeccable reputation into the mud, too. Billy and Robert worked together, so did that mean that Billy was complicit in Robert’s crimes? Or, worse, corrupt too?
Was Billy corrupt like colleague Robert Tulloch?
Viewers discovered that Robert Tulloch and Sgt Billy McCabe worked together back in the day. In fact, Robert was Billy’s superior officer. They became friends, and Billy’s wife was also pally with Robert’s wife Eadie.
Investigating Robert’s corruption, Tosh received evidence that Billy had been hiding evidence – a missing bank statement that proved Robert had paid Billy £10,000 in 2001. It didn’t look good, either way, and hiding the evidence was the final nail in Billy’s career coffin.
At the end of Shetland series 10, viewers knew that Billy had known about his superior’s crimes, and had failed to report them. He had also accepted bribes from his former Sergeant.
Billy’s fate was left in the balance in the Shetland ending. Although Tosh decided NOT to report Billy for failing to flag his colleague Robert’s crimes, Billy took the matter into his own hands.
In an emotional conversation between Tosh and Billy in the closing moments of the series, he told her: “I called policing standards this morning. I told them everything. My rep says I have to take some leave until the investigation is concluded. And then I’ll have to deal with whatever they decide should happen. I’m sorry I let you down Tosh.”
Why was Billy demoted from sergeant to PC in Shetland?
Withholding evidence is considered a serious breach of the law. Billy could even have faced criminal charges of perverting the course of justice.
But, as series 11 begins, Billy McCabe is still working for Shetland police, although he has been demoted. As part of his ‘punishment’ Billy is back to being a bobby on the beat, and no longer a sergeant.
Billy and Tosh’s relationship is now fraught. As series 11 begins, Billy is living with the consequences of his actions and doing everything in his power to avoid Tosh. Although Tosh has forgiven Billy, he cannot forgive himself and is filled with shame.
BBC One tells us: “With the shame and embarrassment of his previous actions still fresh in his mind, Billy has taken a more solitary work schedule, now that he has been demoted to PC from Sergeant.
“Part of this is penance, part of it is to avoid seeing Tosh, whom he feels he let down the most. But as this series unfolds, Billy’s connection to Tosh proves vital and he is able to make amends for his own wrongdoing.”
