SHETLAND - BBC Murder Mystery on Fair Isle

 I have just a few photos from last September visit from the cast and crew of the TV show SHETLAND.

Let me start by saying that no one here on Fair Isle can recall a Murder on Fair Isle... Ever! Going back  to the Orkneyinga Saga of the Vikings, even they have no mention of murder on Fair Isle. The Vikings called Fair Isle "Fridarey - The Isle of Peace". If you do come to Fair Isle, the only "MURDER" you are likely to find is a small group of Crows... The TV show is not factual or realistic in this way, it's entertainment. Enjoy it if you can.

What is true is the landscape of Fair Isle is spectacular! Fair Isle it's self is a star of the show, even though the weather and the sunlight wasn't great while the camera crew was here, it still shined through. National Geographic placed Fair Isle number 5 on their list of Top Ten Islands in the World.

Here are some links for more info about the show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01s711r/profiles/shetland-bill-paterson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/posts/Shetland-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b040hzvm/Shetland_Series_2_Blue_Lightning_Part_1/

Cast and crew flew into Fair Isle for 2 or 3 days,
the rest of the show was shot elsewhere.

A different kind of "roll em" on the Good Shepherd.

A nice bit of kit....

This was the scene on the North Haven pier that I was an extra in.
I don't think I'll make the cut....
(I did make it in so briefly, mostly out of focus thought.)

Jimmy meets Jimmy
The real Jimmy and Jimmy as played on TV. 

Fair Islander Jimmy Stout and Douglas Henshall who plays Jimmy Perez on TV.

Jimmy Stout was the Special Constable of the island when Anne Cleeves started writing her stories while working at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory. Jimmy's family ancestry has been on Fair Isle since the days of the Vikings. The silly totally unfair Isle and Shetland name Perez comes from the teasing of Jimmy's olive skin colour and love of the Sun, some folks say he has some blood from  the Spanish Armada Ship that wrecked on the Isle in 1588. Hence the name Perez was fabricated to protect the innocent.

I think the Isle would gladly welcome them back if needed. Cheers!