O’Donnell to leave Shetland cast after 13 years in Tosh role

ALISON O’Donnell is bidding farewell to BBC crime drama Shetland after 13 years in the role.

As part of the original cast, O’Donnell debuted the role of ‘Tosh’ in 2013 in the first TV adaptation of the novels by crime writer Ann Cleeves.

However, O’Donnell has now made the decision to depart Shetland to explore other acting opportunities.

“Playing Tosh has been the greatest gift an actor could hope for,” she said.

“To be able to stay with the character, to allow her to grow in depth and maturity, and to be consistently rewarded and challenged by the writing and stories, has been such a rich and special experience.

“And to have had the support and loyalty of our wonderful audience has meant so much. I feel so incredibly lucky to have worked with so many hugely talented people both on and off screen.”

She said Shetland has become like a “second home”.

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Gaynor Holmes, executive producer for BBC Drama, said: “Alison has been a pleasure to work with and has truly brought the character of Tosh to life over the years. Her warmth shines through on screen, and we will ensure Tosh is given the fitting farewell she deserves.

“We are enormously grateful to Alison for everything she has brought to Shetland and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”

Silverprint Pictures executive producer Kate Bartlett added: “Tosh is a truly beloved character, with such huge empathy and warmth, and we will all be so sad to see her leave. Alison has been outstanding in the role and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”

Alison’s final storyline is part of a new six-part series of Shetland which centres around an historic murder which will forever change the lives of all those connected in the present day.

The next series is currently filming in Scotland and will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year.