News / ‘Shetland’ turned into a top telly show
THE MURDER mystery Shetland on BBC1 was the most watched TV programme at 9pm on Sunday night with 6.4 million viewers tuning in.
The BBC confirmed that the drama starring Douglas Henshall and local actor Steven Robertson amassed 25.6 per cent of the viewing public, outperforming the final episode of Mr Selfridge by half a million.
The figures were even better for Scotland, where the TV adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ novel Red Bones won 28.9 per cent of the audience.
A BBC spokeswoman said the corporation was very happy with the figures, saying Shetland had well outperformed the slot’s usual 19.9 per cent.
The final number of views is likely to be even higher as iPlayer is factored in over the next week.
However the statistics for Monday night are not expected to be quite so high, with the final half of the slow-paced thriller competing against the highly popular Broadchurch.
The spokeswoman said there was no truth in the oft-repeated suggestion that five million views would guarantee a full series of Ann Cleeves’ murderous Shetland quartet.
However she could not rule out that it might be a possibility.
Reviewers have given the show a mixed reception, with Neil Midgley in The Telegraph describing it as “not especially good, and also not especially bad, but just pervasively dull”.
However Tom Meltzer in The Guardian thought there were enough “hints of drama” to bring people back for the second half “if only to watch the flames on the water at the islands’ Up Helly Aa fire festival”.
He comfortably added: “Sometimes, you see, a place can be as compelling as a plot.”
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
