DI Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) has been tested more than ever in Shetland season 9.
When her good friend Annie Bett was murdered, Tosh found herself in the unenviable position of having to question other members of her social circle — and some of the decisions she's made in her mission to find Annie's killer have left her rather unpopular, even to the extent of falling out with her partner Donnie (Angus Miller).
As Shetland wraps its ninth season this week, a shocking revelation helps Tosh and her colleague DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) to find a new lead in their investigation — but will they be able to find Annie's killer, and will Tosh's friendships survive the aftermath?
We caught up with Alison to find out what lies ahead...
Alison O'Donnell interview for the Shetland Season 9 finale
What can you tell us about the season finale?
"With this series, there are so many big, unexpected twists; everybody seems to have a secret, and everything's sort of connected and then not connected, so it's been quite a journey! When we get to episode six, it really starts to narrow down and becomes more and more about just picking away at the bits that are left. Even within the final episode, there are still reveals and twists, so hopefully we'll keep people guessing until the final moments."
What was it like when you got the script for the finale? Was it a real page-turner?
"We get the scripts in two blocks: you get the first three, and you film them, and then you get the next three — and always, by that point, because the writers are so good at plotting, you're desperate to know what's going to happen. Ashley's been telling the story about how she chose not to know who did it, and I actually did that once before, I think in maybe season three or four, so it can be really fun — but with this one, I think just because Tosh's promotion [to Detective Inspector] is still quite new, I wanted as much information as possible so that I could just sort of focus on the day-to-day. But it was quite interesting that I knew and she didn't — I kept almost saying things in front of her! So I knew ultimately where we were heading and who did it, but I didn't necessarily know why, so yeah, it's always thrilling when the scripts land in your inbox and you can finally see what the journeys are."
Poor Tosh has really been through the wringer this year: her friend was murdered, she's been pushed out by her social circle, and she's even fallen out with Donnie. What's it been like to play all of that?
"It was really nice — as an actor, it's nice to have something more personal running alongside the procedural, like that scene in episode two when I had to arrest Ian Bett [Annie's estranged husband, played by Robert Jack] and Donnie was there, when all those things come together and you have to play all the different emotional beats at once, which is really challenging. But it was quite satisfying really, because I think what we've seen from her, especially in these last two seasons, is a real maturation. When we first met Tosh, she was the ultimate urchin, you know? She was such a rookie — braces, the whole caboodle! They really went for it that she was very green, learning on the job, getting it wrong but showing promise, and it's been such a journey. I think she's really starting to become who she is and growing in confidence; she's getting really good at her job and trusting her instincts. I think that friendship group would have survived all of this if it was strong and good to start with, but if it was already in a kind of weak place, then these cracks have sort of pushed it over the edge..."
On the other hand, she's developed a lovely friendship with Calder in this series. Has that been fun to explore too?
"Yeah, the scenes with Ashley and developing that relationship are the best bit of the job for me — that's when you feel like you're really in the center of the show, and it feels like that invisible string between them is what this show sort of lives or dies on. You need to keep that beating heart going all the time, that's where the really interesting stuff is. Because it's new, it feels like there's still so much to explore. Every scene they have takes it forward, and that's really exciting — we're never covering old ground, because there isn't any!"
It's very different from the relationship that she had with DI Jimmy Perez, isn't it?
"Oh yeah, absolutely — the relationship with Perez was just so gorgeous and we were so fortunate to have all that time to develop it. It went on its own journey, but I think for me, you can't continue to play the urchin forever — that has a shelf-life, and I think everything that she'd been through and everything that he had taught her had to be leading somewhere. If we'd continued in that same dynamic for much longer, it would have started to feel a bit tired, so it's just been the greatest surprise to suddenly get the chance to step up and be in a totally different relationship with somebody who sees you as an equal, and see where that takes us."
And when Douglas Henshall [who played Perez] said he was leaving, you didn't necessarily know if the show would continue...
"No! I still can't really believe it — it felt like such a gamble [to continue without Perez]. The show has been so precious to me, and we've been on such a huge journey with it, that when they were saying they were going to revamp it and go again, I felt very nervous because I was like, 'what if we get this wrong? I don't want the legacy of the show to suffer — it's in such a good place that it makes sense to walk away, let's not mess with it now!' But there was such an energy and excitement behind it, and I got swept up in that and started to really trust that the team behind it were making the right choices. Even now, I'm still pinching myself because I just imagine so many iterations of this revamp that would not have been as good. It's gone on to have this identity of its own and viewers have really connected with it; people are still tuning in, talking about it and enjoying it. It felt like such a risk, but I'm so glad it paid off!"
You've had a brilliant guest cast in this series — particularly young Jacob Ferguson, who plays Annie's son Noah...
"Oh my goodness, I am so glad you're asking me about him! He's incredible. When I was doing press in the run-up to the first episode airing, we couldn't really say too much about him because he was sort of involved in a spoiler, so it's really nice to be able to talk about him now. When they were casting, we were all just thinking 'please find a kid that can do it', because this part is so hard, it's really sophisticated stuff, and you need a kid that's got maturity and proper chops to carry it off — and they found a superstar! He's so gifted, and he was such a joy to work with because he's so bubbly and happy — he'd come up and be so excited to see you, and you'd have a laugh with him, and then the cameras start rolling and that just disappears. No matter what the directors were asking of him, he just does it, and he never dropped a line; he was so professional. I have a big interview with him in episode three, and it was such a pleasure to do it because it just felt so taut the whole time — he was so in it with me, never missing a beat. He was so fun, and so great — I can't say enough good things about him, and his family as well!"
Finally, we know Shetland has already been commissioned for Season 10. Can you give us any teasers?
"I think the plan is that it will follow exactly the same pattern as the last two; I think we're aiming to film in the spring and summer, and for it to air at the same time next year. I think that's the plan, but these things are very mercurial — I'll be the last to know! I have had a lunch with the writers, and they've given me a sort of breakdown of what the story will be, and what Tosh's story will be, and I am very excited. There's an angle for Tosh in the next one that I feel like the show has been crying out for, and I think the fans are going to love it!"
- The Shetland Season 9 finale airs on Wednesday, December 11 at 9pm on BBC1. Catch up on the season so far on BBC iPlayer.
