Shetland star teases character will be 'out of comfort zone' in new series

Shetland star Lewis Howden has revealed his character is set to become "embroiled" in the drama in the upcoming series of the show.

The actor has portrayed sergeant Billy McCabe since the first season of the popular BBC murder mystery series, which centres around police investigations in Shetland. In the forthcoming 10th season, he is poised for a more prominent role, which also allowed him to join the rest of the cast on location in Shetland rather than filming his scenes in a studio.

During an appearance on ITV's Lorraine on Monday (November 3), Lewis expressed his excitement about this development.

He revealed to host Lorraine Kelly that he had previously only filmed one scene in Shetland, where Billy was seen enjoying a cup of tea outside the police station, reports the Daily Record.

Describing the experience of shooting the latest episodes, he said it was "a joy".

"You get to bond like everybody has done for 13 years apart from me, parties and that," said the actor. "And also just to wander around the islands."

"We find out he has a wife," he disclosed about his character.

"And he has got the best house in the whole of Shetland... It has got seals in the back garden. I'm not even kidding, honestly. You just go there and you just think, I actually really want to live here in real life."

Lorraine commented on it being good to see Billy getting more involved, and the actor responded: "Different to do, so I'd say, rather than more to do necessarily. But it's, yes, it's really exciting."

Hinting that he didn't wish to reveal too much, he explained Billy was "embroiled" in the storyline in the upcoming series.

"He's out of his comfort zone," he revealed.

The forthcoming series of Shetland will witness Detective Inspector Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) and Detective Inspector Alison "Tosh" McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) conducting investigations in the isolated village of Lunniswick after the killing of a former social worker called Eadie Tulloch, who previously worked alongside Billy's spouse.

Tosh actress Alison also recently commented on the developments for Billy, expressing her delight at seeing Lewis assume a more central role.

"Having Lewis come to the fore was nothing but a pleasure," the actress remarked.

"He has captured the affections of our viewers with his subtle performance, his reliable presence and distinguished beard. It was overdue! He has been an untapped resource for such a long time and he is such a remarkable actor so we were all genuinely thrilled, myself particularly as we shared so many wonderful scenes together."

Shetland returns on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Wednesday November 5 and Lorraine airs on ITV on weekdays from 9am