Shetland’s Ashley Jensen ‘appreciates Scotland’s culture more’ after travelling

Shetland’s newest addition Ashley Jensen appeared on ITV’s This Morning on Wednesday to promote the new season of the crime show.

The Hollywood star has taken over from fellow Scot Douglas Henshall and will well and truly have the reins of the hugely popular BBC show when the latest series hits screens on Wednesday after DI Jimmy Perez bowed out following seven seasons.

Now, the star – who hails from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway – has praised Scotland’s culture, admitting that it took her to travel the world to appreciate her home country.

She told Rylan and Josie Gibson: “You never go to what’s on your doorstep, and I sometimes think it takes you to go away and travel the world a bit and see other places and then come back and go, this is amazing.

“The [Scottish] landscape and the culture, the colours, the music and the tatty scone and the square sausage.”

The Ugly Betty favourite will take over the lead role and a fresh new chapter in the show.

Teasing her new character, DI Ruth Calder, a native Shetlander who returns to the Isles after 20 years working for the Met in London.

She said: “She doesn’t smile much. It’s a really great part for me to play because predominantly I’ve done a lot of comedy and when I was sent this script, the first episode was just amazing and it blew me away.

“Not only my character but everybody else’s character was so well rounded.”

Previously, we reported that Ashley opened up on why her latest gig is one of the best of her career – and why she was so overwhelmed to be filming in her homeland after years living across the pond.

Ashley said: “Shetland is one of those places that I never, ever thought I would go or get a chance to work there. It was such a privilege to be there and rendered me speechless when I stepped off that wee plane the first time. There were Shetland ponies and puffins – it’s got its own identity which is quite exhilarating actually.”

She added: “I feel that Shetland is as much a character as the drama itself….And then there’s the weather! One minute we had this horizontal rain and the next, a heatwave and it was like the tropics and everyone was going wild swimming. I felt like I was on my holidays.

“There’s this sort of idea that when we’re British we have to go far afield to get away. After living in America for years, I’ve got this pull to visit Scotland more, so when Shetland came up I couldn’t resist.”

The eighth series will be a six-part tale, as Met detective Ruth returns to the Shetland Isles on the trail of a vulnerable witness, and she’ll be teaming up with Tosh, played by returning star Alison O’Donnell, as the pair team up on a case that will test their fragile, new partnership.

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