Shetland's Alison O'Donnell reveals why she cried after watching first episode following Douglas Henshall's exit

It's been over three years since Douglas Henshall's DI Jimmy Perez last appeared in Shetland – an ending that paved the way for a new era, with Ashley Jensen's DI Ruth Calder at the helm alongside Alison O'Donnell's 'Tosh'.

But while the BBC crime drama's relaunch was largely well received by critics and fans alike, O'Donnell didn't have the benefit of a crystal ball when it was first announced.

"When I heard that they were going to reimagine the show, there was a part of me going, 'Oh no, we've got this legacy, and what if you get it wrong? Like, what if it doesn't work?'"

But her panic quickly dissipated when she watched the season 8 premiere.

"I remember when the first episode was airing, my kids were still up, so I went into the other room, and when I watched it I actually cried. I sat on my own and I wept because it was partly relief, but also I was so proud of it. It was so much better than any of us really could have imagined.

"And I always knew that there would be the dissenting voices, but I think there was far less of that than there could have been."

But had there been pushback, Jensen said it would have been "perfectly natural".

"He [Henshall] did it for seven years, and you grow to love a character. Then it’s a bit like ripping the rug away from someone and going, 'Deal with this,'" she added. "Of course you're going to get people [who aren't keen on the newcomer], and that's perfectly normal."

But thankfully, she now has the official seal of approval.

"What's nice for me is when a drunk man in a pub in Glasgow or Shetland comes up to me and goes, 'I wasn’t sure about you, but I quite like you now.'

"I'll take that."

Jensen went on to talk about why she believes the transition from Perez to Calder worked so seamlessly, praising the writers for retaining the essence of the show while introducing the new DI.

"Calder's super-objective for the whole of the first series was, 'I want to get the hell away from here,'" she explained. "She was never Billy Big Boots, going, 'I've come to take over, I'm the new DI.' Everyone would have been like, 'Who are you?' And I think the audience would have done that. But instead, it led them in, it teased them in a wee bit more.

"So it kept everything, and it also elevated you [gestured to O'Donnell], which I think the audience were crying out for. They wanted to know a bit more about Tosh. And I think they very cleverly introduced me and did that."

Read more:

• Shetland's Ashley Jensen teases potential romance for Calder – but "there's a conflict of interest"
• Shetland favourite Alison O'Donnell reveals "Dark Tosh" storyline — and her partner's nervous reaction

O'Donnell echoed those comments: "Yeah, they got both. Anyone who was feeling, 'Well, my heart's with Perez,' they could go on the journey with us – like, 'Oh, who's this newcomer? And she doesn't even want to be here.' So there was this softly, softly approach. They were never pressing you on to anybody.

"But then, just by sleight of hand, you made your way into the thing it was. It was really clever."

In the show's tenth season, "Calder and Tosh are drawn to a remote village following the sinister murder of an elderly woman," reads the official synopsis.

"The body of the retired social worker Eadie Tulloch has been out in the elements for a number of days... suspecting the residents are holding back about their relationships with Eadie, Calder and Tosh begin to unravel a complicated web of lies.

"Worse still, there’s a personal link to the case for Sgt Billy McCabe, testing loyalty to the limits."

Shetland season 10 started airing at 9pm on Wednesday 5th November on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Seasons 1-9 are available to stream on iPlayer now. Ann Cleeves's Shetland novels are available to buy.

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