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Gavin and Stacey actor joins new Shetland cast

BBC/Silverprint Films/Jamie Simpson Two women hold a clapperboard between them. One has dark brown hair with a fringe tied back and she wears a blue and green top. The other woman has shoulder-length blonde hair and wears a black and green striped jumper.BBC/Silverprint Films/Jamie Simpson
Alison O'Donnell and Ashley Jensen return as detectives investigating crime on the island

Shetland is back for a 10th series of murders and secrets in a small Scottish island community.

Actor Samuel Anderson, who played Fingers in the sitcom Gavin and Stacey, will join the cast as new procurator fiscal Matt Blake.

Series regulars Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell, who play DI Ruth Calder and DI Alison "Tosh" MacIntosh, have already started filming in locations around Scotland.

The latest series of the long-running drama by Silverprint Pictures is set to debut on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year.

Anderson, who also plays Mal in the BBC comedy Amandaland, is among a number of actors joining the guest cast, including Clive Russell, from Game of Thrones, and Motherland's Ellie Haddington.

PA Media Samuel Anderson has dark hair and a short, dark bear. He is wearing a grey jumper and is standing in front of a background that repeats the BBC logo.PA Media
Samuel Anderson will join the programme as the new procurator fiscal

Originally based on award-winning novels by crime writer Ann Cleeves, the new series sees Calder and Tosh travel to the isolated hamlet of Lunniswick to investigate the killing of an elderly woman.

The team discover that the body of the retired social worker has been out in the elements for a number of days.

As the case unfolds, Tosh and Calder excavate the victim's life as well as the lives of those who knew her.

They soon begin to uncover "dark secrets and terrible deeds" at the heart of the close-knit community.

BBC/Silverprint Films/Robert Pereira Hind A shot of the coast of Shetland. It is bare except for one house with a couple cars and is otherwise just fields. A boat can be seen travelling to land.BBC/Silverprint Films/Robert Pereira Hind
The murder mystery centres around the small community on Shetland

Gaynor Holmes, commissioning editor for the BBC, said: "Now in its 10th series, Shetland continues to go from strength to strength and is loved by audiences across the UK and internationally.

"We're very excited to see the fantastic creative team at Silverprint and their superbly talented cast and crew heading back into production with a compellingly new, gnarly and emotional murder mystery."

Last year, Shetland was the most watched BBC drama series in Scotland.

Executive producer for Silverprint Pictures Kate Bartlett said the team was "thrilled" to create the new series with "such incredible Scottish talent in all areas of production".

"We're so excited about this new series of Shetland with Ashley and Alison, alongside our wonderful returning cast and a fantastic guest cast," she said.

"Paul Logue has created a distinctive and emotionally complex story, set against the stunning and evocative landscape of the Shetland Isles."

Shetland is part of a growing list of BBC dramas from Scotland, including The Bombing of Pan Am 103 and returning series Vigil and Granite Harbour.

All previous series of Shetland are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The new series is expected to premier later this year.