There is nothing I love more than settling down on a dark autumn evening and binge-watching a good boxset... but as a Shetland fan things are going to be different because the BBC will be releasing episodes of Shetland season 9 weekly, instead of landing them all in one go on iPlayer.
While it isn't that surprising seeing as the BBC did the same thing for Shetland season 8 last year, it is more common these days for the channel to release new series as a box set. Take Showtrial season 2 and Ludwig season 1 for example - both are seriously bingeable and recently landed as a boxset on iPlayer, meaning if an episode ends on a cliffhanger, you can immediately find out what happens next.
But, while the TV viewer in me finds having to wait a week for each episode frustrating, something has to be said for the tension that weekly releases create. With a show like Shetland, which has you gripped from the start and leaves you guessing until the very last moment, releasing the episodes separately definitely makes it 'event TV'.
The new series of Shetland sees Ashley Jensen return as DI Ruth Calder as she is once again thrown into a dark and distressing case that she fights to solve with her colleague and friend Tosh (Alison O’Donnell).
This season sees the pair drawn into a deeply personal investigation for Tosh when her friend, Annie Bett, goes missing and she suspects something is seriously wrong. But soon two crimes that the police are working on seem to collide and the plot thickens.
So, with all this in mind, my Wednesday evenings are busy for the foreseeable... because I have a weekly date with Ruth and Tosh as they try to solve a shockingly high number of grim murder cases on the eerily remote island of Shetland, and I can't wait!
Shetland season 9 airs at 9pm on Wednesdays on BBC One. It will also arrive on BBC iPlayer each week after the episode has aired on BBC One.
