'Phone sex, drug raids and alfresco corpses. It’s all go in Shetland'

Phone sex, drug raids and alfresco corpses. It’s all go in Shetland

Review by Alison Rowat

Alison Rowat takes a sharp look at the week’s television highlights, from the return of Shetland to a heartfelt documentary about Celtic and Liverpool football legend Kenny Dalglish, alongside The Great British Bake Off finale and The Troops.

Celebrity chaos on BBC One

Thursday brought a change of pace on BBC One. Viewers said farewell to Celebrity Traitors and were greeted by Celebrity Race Across the World. As Rowat noted, this almost looked like the BBC had adopted a “one-in, one-out” policy for its celebrity contests.

“Celebrity Traitors at least had the grace to feature people viewers had heard of, whereas Celebrity Race Across the World finds us once more playing a game of ‘Who’s she? Dylan who?’”

Shetland returns with grit

No confusion about familiar faces in Shetland, which returned for its tenth season. Detective duo Tosh and Calder, played by Alison O’Donnell and Ashley Jensen, began the series by intercepting a fishing vessel suspected of smuggling drugs. No sooner had they wrapped that up when another call came: a deceased woman had been discovered in the quiet village of Lunnswick.

The victim, retired social worker Eadie Tulloch, had been left outdoors near her home, tethered to a post. Inside, there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry, deepening the mystery.

“It was as if,” said Calder, “she was led out meekly, like an animal to slaughter.”

Adding intrigue to the mix, new fiscal Matt, portrayed by Samuel Anderson, brought his own complications to Shetland — including personal troubles with his girlfriend back in Edinburgh and hints of growing ambition that may prove risky.

Other highlights

The Great British Bake Off closed with its final competition bakes and warm sentiment.
The documentary on Kenny Dalglish offered both sports nostalgia and deep emotional reflection.
The Troops rounded off the week with a mix of humor and sharp cultural commentary.

Author’s Summary: A sharp, witty round-up of the week’s television — from drug raids and mystery on Shetland to the familiar chaos of celebrity reality competitions.

The Herald — 2025-11-09