Arts / Fear and loathing in Levenwick – South Mainland village transformed for key role in Shetland TV series
Shetland News visited the set of season 10 ahead of its release later this year
MURDER, intrigue and dark secrets coming to light – so far, so Shetland.
But where the latest season of the hit BBC drama stands out from its predecessors is in its main setting, with the cast and crew taking over the South Mainland village of Levenwick for the bulk of the shoot.
Levenwick will be transformed into the fictional hamlet of Lunniswick for the upcoming season of Shetland – its tenth, marking a major milestone in the show.
There a former social worker will be found dead by detectives DI Ruth Calder, played on screen by Ashley Jensen, and DI Alison ‘Tosh’ MacIntosh (Alison O’Donnell).
With the victim having lain dead for several days, an investigation will be kickstarted which will see fingers pointed all around the tight-knit community of Lunniswick.
Shetland News was invited to the set of season 10 at the end of June to see a scene being shot at Lerwick’s lifeboat pier, with a small crowd gathering to see O’Donnell film with Lewis Howden – who plays Sergeant Billy McCabe in the series.
Howden, who is normally seen behind a desk in the show’s police station, has been in Shetland filming this year for just the second time in the series.
Producer Louise Say said McCabe, who is seen as a “father figure” to the show’s detectives, will play an enhanced role in the upcoming season.
“He has a direct connection with the dead person, so he’s incredibly upset,” she told Shetland News.
“The heart of the investigation has a personal connection.”
An aspiration of the writers for season 10 was to set the story within a village, with Say explaining they wanted to create “a complete story in a remote beach”.
The location needed to be within 30 minutes reach of Lerwick, she said, to allow cast, crew and equipment to make it there efficiently.
Say described Levenwick as an “absolute gift”, and said this season would be a “return to Shetland’s roots”.
“Everybody in Levenwick has been incredibly co-operative,” she said.
“We’ve used five properties in the village to film in. There was a lot of shooting in Levenwick in block one [of filming], we filmed there for about two weeks.
“There was not so much in block two as the detectives are moving in different directions as suspicions change.”
The crew “changed the configuration” of Levenwick in the filming to make it look far more isolated than it actually is, Say said.
And while the latest season is filmed in the South Mainland, she told Shetland News they were actually looking at the exact opposite of the island when they came up with the design.
“We were inspired by North Roe – that was the inspiration,” Say explained.
“It was hard for us to film in North Roe because of the logistics.”
However she said she would “love” to film in the outer isles in a future season if possible – and if the BBC continues to commission the show.
Talking more about what viewers could expect in season 10, Say told Shetland News that Detectives Calder and Tosh would discover the body of Edie Tulloch which had been left “out in the elements” for several days.
In Lunniswick it “comes as a huge shock that one of their own has been killed”.
“It’s a really challenging investigation. There’s dark secrets been held for a long time in this village.”
The global appeal of the series is well-known in Shetland, and Say has experienced that for herself when filming in the isles for the latest season.
“We spoke to a couple who had come all the way from San Diego because of the show,” she said.
“That always fills me with pride.
“The Shetland-ness of the programme is key. It’s the beauty of the island, really.”
She also paid tribute to the people of Shetland, who not only accept weeks of road disruption but throw themselves into roles as extras to ensure the show can be made.
Say said some extras come back year after year to play a part, giving eagle-eyed viewers a fun challenge.
One new addition to the cast this year is Shetlander Havana Duncan, who is appearing after auditioning for a role at the Shetland Hotel.
Ironically, as one of the native Shetland members in the cast, she is set to play an incomer to the island in the show this season.
On Shetland News’ visit to the set it is a typical Shetland day – grey clouds eventually giving way to rain, which makes it tricky to take notes on a soggy notepad.
Say admitted it was “challenging to film in Shetland” and to avoid the worst of the weather.
“Most of the team are working outside most of the time, come rain or shine,” she said.
“You just work together and you just keep going.”
Despite that she said the cast – who have been photographed in recent weeks pulling pints in local pubs, visiting local shops and enjoying a whisky tasting session – “love it up here”.
“A lot of them say they probably would never have come here, but they are blown away by the beauty of the island,” the producer added.
With the show only commissioned to season 10 so far, Say is hopeful that they will be returning to the isles in the near future.
“I would hope there will be interest in another series of Shetland,” she said.
“Hopefully the viewers keep tuning in and watching it right across the world.”
Season 10 of Shetland is expected to air on BBC in the later part of 2025.
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