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BBC Shetland series 11 returned with DI Tosh McIntosh and DI Ruth Calder investigating murder mysteries

Shetland fans think one major character is about to be killed off in horrific circumstances.

The BBC crime drama made a welcome comeback on Thursday (November 12) as DI Ruth Calder and DI ‘Tosh’ McIntosh tackle more murder mysteries across the Scottish archipelago. Actress Alison O’Donnell has announced the current series will mark her final outing as Tosh, confirming her departure.

In the opening episode of Shetland series 11, skeletal remains of an unidentified male were discovered inside a vehicle hauled from the sea, leaving Calder and Tosh tasked with tracking down the troubled owner who fled the Isles nine years earlier.

The investigation quickly focused on two men who vanished back in 2017, including local doctor Raymond Linden, the car’s owner, and Ukrainian contract worker Ivan Dudka, who had an emergency home appointment with Raymond shortly before his disappearance.

Ivan had been residing at a hostel in Lerwick, yet the address logged in the surgery diary was in Isbister, roughly an hour away. Attempting to crack the mystery, Tosh travelled to the location and started investigating an underground tank, though she wasn’t alone.

Tosh called out, “Are you okay? Do you need help?” but received no response. As the ladder she was scaling gave way, she plunged deeper into the tank and tumbled. Luckily, Tosh escaped injury and managed to regain her footing before a mysterious figure darted towards the ladder while her back was turned.

She attempted to escape from them and shouted, “Hey”, but they swiftly slammed the hatch shut behind them and bolted from the scene, leaving a visibly panicked Tosh trapped inside, reports the Express.

The detective retrieved her mobile phone torch to examine the area, and she was in for a nasty surprise. Tosh discovered the remains of another body, just as Calder was leaving a message on her phone.

It had come to light that the skeleton found in Raymond’s car did, in fact, belong to him, and that Ivan was most probably the man Tosh found in the tank, but the motive remained a mystery. Will Tosh escape from the tank alive?

Shetland viewers fear the officer has reached the end of the road. Taking to X, one viewer pleaded: “#Shetland I hope Tosh gets out okay. I know she’s leaving, sadly.” A second fumed: ” #Shetland hasn’t been the same since Jimmy and Duncan left. Now Tosh is the last straw.”

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A third chimed in: “That was a pretty good episode except for that at the end……why oh why #Shetland”, with another commenting: “So good to have this brilliant drama back on TV. I could feel it in my bones that something was coming right down the road at Tosh, oh & I was right; please no, not Tosh #Shetland.”

“Who is writing the scripts for #Shetland this Season?! There’s no way Tosh /Any Woman would enter & explore that building on their own…Finished with it,” exclaimed one viewer. (sic).

“So, new season of #Shetland started tonight, first: Did no one tell Tosh you don’t go down a dark, scary hole on your own without backup and/or without telling anyone where you are?”, added another.

Shetland series 11 airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer

Amy Dowden MBE on Instagram: “A year ago today, I had just made it home from hospital in time for Strictly, after undergoing another mastectomy. 🎀 The start of November over the last three years hasn’t been easy. It’s been a time of year I’ve dreaded, bringing back so many emotions, memories and challenges. But fast forward a year, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come , of my body and my incredible Strictly family, who have supported me every step of the way.💖 What an incredible show after such an amazing week I’ve had! Feeling truly grateful for everything! 🙏🎀 Life really is precious. Never take a moment for granted. Remember to get out there and LIVE life! 💖💖”

19K likes, 176 comments – amy_dowden on November 7, 2026: “A year ago today, I had just made it home from hospital in time for Strictly, after undergoing another mastectomy. 🎀 The start of November over the last three years hasn’t been easy. It’s been a time of year I’ve dreaded, bringing back so many emotions, memories and challenges. But fast forward a year, and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come , of my body and my incredible Strictly family, who have supported me every step of the way.💖 What an incredible show after such an amazing week I’ve had! Feeling truly grateful for everything! 🙏🎀 Life really is precious. Never take a moment for granted. Remember to get out there and LIVE life! 💖💖”.

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The ITV psychological thriller drama boasts a star-studded cast and concluded on Monday evening

Tensions were high as The Party concluded on Monday evening.

The ITV political thriller is adapted from Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel and written for the screen by Sarah Solemani, who also stars. Made up of five episodes, The Party also stars Luke Evans as Martin Gilmour, a working-class boy who wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school and forges a lifelong bond with the wealthy, charismatic Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Tom Cullen.

Years on, and married, Martin attends Ben’s lavish birthday party as Ben weighs a run for the Conservative leadership, and fears the attendant publicity could expose secrets from their past, with tragic consequences.

The twisty story moves between the party itself, a police investigation and flashbacks to the pair’s earlier lives. It was revealed that the pair had been involved in a car crash when they were teenagers, which killed Ben’s twin sister.

While Ben was behind the wheel, three times over the limit, Martin took the fall after being coerced by Ben’s father, Lord George Fitzmaurice (Douglas Hodge), resulting in a huge payoff each year. Although this happened decades ago, the tragic event was the catalyst for the shooting, as a journalist revealed she knew the truth and was about to expose Ben after he had shared his plans to run as the next conservative leader.

In the final episode, Martin pulled a gun on Ben as he accused him of ruining his childhood and leaving him broken as an adult. In the end, Ben talked his friend down and took the gun off of him, although after admitting he always loved him, he shot himself in the head.

Ben’s wife, Serena (Lydia Leonard), heard the gunshot and saw Martin holding the gun, which he took from Ben when he fell to the floor. She believed Martin had shot her husband and told the police.

Ben didn’t die, and Martin was arrested before being later released by the police. However, a police detective was adamant that they wanted to investigate the historical car crash further. Martin realised that the time had come to walk away and put some distance between himself and the Fitzmaurice family. After visiting Ben at the hospital, he left and began facing the world with fresh purpose.

As he walked through the park, he saw a male couple with a newborn baby in the park, a smile played around his lips, as though he’d had a glimpse of the happiness that could be his at some point in the future.

Despite the gripping final episode being full of twists and turns, The Party viewers were left questioning the “abrupt” ending and accused the drama of leaving the plot “incomplete”.

Taking to X, one viewer fumed: “Is that it? What a waste of my time… #TheParty”, while a second agreed: “What a waste of 5 nights #theparty.”

A third asked: “#theparty is that it?”, while another chimed in: “What a **** ending. So many unanswered questions and loose ends #TheParty.”

“#TheParty the night went on for weeks and now it’s getting wrapped up quicker than Poirot says no no mon ami !”, joked another

The Party is available to stream on ITVX