Stephen Robertson Talks Shetland

Helping Keep Shetland Safe

BBC’s Shetland is back for a new run and here’s one of its stars Stephen Robertson talking about it…

After a long break, how has it been getting back into the character of Sandy again?

With the unscheduled break we were in a unique situation, early scripts were ready and we were just about ready to go and then things changed suddenly. So, for once, I’d seen the start of the storyline and I couldn’t help mulling it over until filming started again. ‘Shetland’ hadn’t really gone away for me, so even if you try not to think about it, you can’t help but have it in your head. So, in a strange sort of way, while it was a long break from Sandy and Shetland for me the story was turning over in the back of my mind during this time.

When the opportunity came along to start filming series six again at the start of 2021, it oddly felt like I’d been living with this storyline for a long time, which you never really get on a TV drama – you generally don’t have the luxury of knowing storylines that far in advance. In many ways, that helped bridge the gap between the break and being back filming again. It was like a sort of unbroken line.

Where do we find Sandy now?

At the end of series five Sandy had made an error of judgement and he had to be removed from his position in the police and was suspended. Since then, he has spent a long time not doing the job he loves – help keep Shetland safe.

He had to pay for his mistakes which led to Sandy having to retrain and admit his fault to his superiors. Now he’s back in the team but he’s had a lot to think about and maybe not allowing his desire to move a case forward in a way that allows for errors of judgement is the lesson he hopes he has learned.

What is the case which Sandy, Perez and the team are faced with investigating this time around?

It centres around the murder of a prominent person in Shetland. At the start of this storyline he’s shot dead and everything goes on from there with a whole raft of things that are connected. The fact that this person was connected to so many people who could have potential criminal connections and a reason to want him murdered, because of past grievances, means that there’s a very open ended question which starts off the police investigation – who could want to have done this and why?

This series sees the return of controversial character Donna Killick. Can you explain what has happened?

Donna Killick is really closely linked to Sandy and also ultimately the reasons he wanted to become a detective in the first place. Donna was found guilty [in series 4] of the historic murder of a local girl called Lizzie Kilmuir who was a friend of Sandy’s.

Lizzie’s surviving family including her twin sister Kate [played by Neve McIntosh] are very good friends of Sandy’s. The fact that Donna is being allowed to come back to the islands because she is terminally ill, and will not therefore serve the rest of her sentence in jail, is a bit of a bind for Sandy.

How does Sandy feel about her return? And what about the rest of the team?

He’s trying to think with his head not his heart this time around but Donna’s case is an immediate challenge for him. He doesn’t want Donna back for many reasons. Personally he doesn’t want her back because she murdered his friend, Lizzie, but he also doesn’t want her return to upset the Kilmuir family anymore. They’ve been through more than enough.

He feels that everything Donna has done wrong should far outweigh her right to die on Shetland. He doesn’t feel she deserves this grace period at the end of her life and he’s pretty het up about it and very much against her release and return to the islands. It’s a decision led by the heart and he would love to logically overcome it but this is very personal for Sandy.

What do you think are Sandy’s strengths and weaknesses?

Sandy’s one of those people whose strengths and weaknesses are, like many of us, ultimately the same thing. He absolutely always wants to do the right thing by the islands and to see what is wrong put right and what he sees as right protected at all costs. It’s not completely black and white, binary thinking but he does have a very strong sense of what’s right and wrong. This can be hugely useful in the investigations but perhaps he needs to learn to also give a little more of the benefit of the doubt.

Above all else, his greatest strength is local knowledge. He’s always lived on Shetland unlike the others, he’s still very much seen as the go to person for anything local.

Are there any similarities between you and Sandy?

Well we look a lot alike! Probably as many differences as similarities to be honest. He loves the islands and thinks that most people want to do the honest and right things for the community and I tend to think the same in that regard.

Unlike me, Sandy has to have a level of suspicion about most things because of his work. I’m very glad I don’t feel like him in that regard when it comes to most things!

What do you think makes a show like Shetland such a draw for audiences all round the world?

I think that it’s the microcosm aspect of Shetland itself. I am genuinely always amazed and delighted that it’s so popular in so many countries and places that are so different from the Shetland Isles. Because Shetland is such a small community and the show uses that as an integral part to the drama and I think people feel they can slot in amongst the characters and the storylines and get very personally involved. Perhaps because there are just a little less pieces on the chess board!

I also think people like that fact it’s a unique place but it is not a special case – bad things still happen and truths are uncovered.

How has it been having the cast and crew back filming on the Shetland Isles again?

It’s always good to be anywhere with this cast and crew. These guys are the most remarkably hard working crew. They have to travel somewhere which is actually quite remote, it’s less remote than it was when I was a child but nevertheless it’s not always easy to get here, and, the weather is quite changeable and challenging for them but they just get on with it and are truly a splendid bunch of people. I’m happy to see them here in Shetland any day of the week.

And speaking as a native Shetlander, how do locals feel about the series which showcases their islands the world over?

I like to think that the vast majority of people are positive about that. These things don’t come along too often for any location – any place – so most people realise it’s fundamentally a good thing and shows off Shetland all over the world.

Things like these don’t happen by accident – it started with Ann Cleeves’ extraordinary books and then the TV series has grown and grown. It’s a remarkable thing, I don’t think about it too often, it’s like asking the caterpillar how it moves around with all those legs – if it thinks about it too much, it would fall over!

It’s an unusual and a positive thing for the Shetland Isles and there’s certainly an open minded approval of the TV series filming here.

And finally, what makes Shetland unmissable TV?

Location, great writing and incredible characters. I absolutely put my hand on heart and say I’m biased – I was born here, brought up here, this is my home but I believe that when people see Shetland at its best on the screen the powerful elements of the scenery highlight the uniqueness of the integral parts of the show.

Alongside the location, the writing and characters are entwined within the series. Any journey we go on always has Perez at its heart and Douglas has brought this character to life from book to screen. Audiences are very engaged with this and want to see Perez and the other characters go through the journeys of each story. We have a very good team who work around the central character of Perez. It certainly always feels like a team effort on set. It’s those three things – location, scripts and characters – which makes Shetland unique.

Ultimately, it all stretches back to Ann’s [Cleeves] reaction when she first visited Shetland and how the location inspired her to write these stories which led to the TV series.