Shetland season nine sees DI Ruth Calder leading the investigation into a double missing person’s case, but what else has Scottish actress Ashley Jensen been in?
BBC fans were devastated when the news broke of DI Jimmy Perez star Douglas Henshall’s pending departure, leaving many with doubts about how the drama could continue without him.
But despite these concerns, Shetland is thriving with DI Ruth Calder (played by Ashley Jensen) at the centre of the show and, most recently, the disappearance of Annie Brett (Sarah MacGillivray) and her son Noah.
Jensen is no stranger to the small screen, however, as she has worked on countless high-profile series during her 34-year career.
Having grown up in Dumfries and trained in drama at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University, Jensen got her first-ever onscreen role in the series City Lights in 1990.
She went on to have minor parts in projects such as Screen One, Rab C Nesbitt, The Tales of Para Hardy, and Capital Lives.
The Shetland actress’ first major recurring role was as Heather in the 1994 oil rig drama Roughnecks.
Appearances in Bad Boys, The Bill, Dangerfield, and Mortimer’s Law followed, prior to her two-year stint on City Central in 1998 alongside actors Paul Nicholls and Dave Hill.
Other parts in EastEnders, Clocking Off Silent Witness, Casualty, and Eleventh Hour, cropped up, but it wasn’t until 2005 that she first worked with actor and comedian Ricky Gervais.
She starred opposite the mastermind behind The Office in the unforgettable two-season sitcom Extras as Maggie Jacobs. The pair worked as background actors and hoped for their big break.
This wasn’t the last time they starred in a hit show together, either. From 2019 to 2022, she rejoined Ricky for his Netflix hit After Life as his character’s love interest, Emma, the nurse.
Another memorable role of Jensen’s was in the sitcom Ugly Betty for four years as Christina McKinney, a seamstress and close friend of Betty Suarez.
In recent years, the Scottish star has leaned more toward drama rather than comedy, featuring in shows like The Reckoning, Love, Lies and Records, Catastrophe, and most recently Mayflies, which came out in 2022.
Shetland season nine continues every Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.