Jimmy Perez's 'Hollywood' star on Shetland gets a new home

DI Jimmy Perez (Douglad Henshall) looks out to the water in Shetland.
(Image credit: BBC/ITV Studios/Mark Mainz)

Shetland's DI Jimmy Perez has a Hollywood Walk of Fame style star on the island, and it's just found a new home.

If you didn't already know, former Shetland actor Douglass Henshall was honored with a Hollywood-style star back in 2021. 

It was first put outside a lodberry in Lerwick which acted as Jimmy Perez's home in the series. It was designed to commemorate both Henshall and the positive impact that the popular BBC crime drama has had on Shetland and tourism in the area. You can see a photo of the actor with the star below.

The honorary plaque was removed later in the year, owing to a disagreement with the building's owner, and the council confirmed it was to be relocated. Thanks to a report from Shetland News, we now know where you can find it! 

The star has been moved to outside of Lerwick Sheriff Court, which acts as the exterior of the police station in the show. 

Henshall played the show's lead detective DI Jimmy Perez for 10 years but decided to step down at the end of Shetland season 7. When we asked Douglass Henshall why he left Shetland, the star said he felt it was the right time, and didn't want the show's quality to drop.

"I was very ready to go — I think I'd done as much with the character as I could", Henshall said. "And the slightly unique aspect to the show, of two men trying to parent a teenager [Perez is raising his stepdaughter Cassie with her biological father Duncan] and the grief over a dead wife, I didn't want those to become a trope. I thought if we pushed it any further, it might end up a bit clichéd. Plus the fact that Erin Armstrong, who plays Cassie, is 26 now — she's a grown woman!

"There's only so many people you can murder on an island, I didn't want the quality of the show to drop. I felt it was good for us to leave when we did, because I think the quality in the seven seasons that we've done has been remarkably high. And 10 years is also a very big chunk of time to spend doing anything, and I felt like that was enough."

Following his departure, Agatha Raisin star Ashley Jensen took over the lead role as DI Ruth Calder for Shetland season 8. 

Shetland is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox in the US. And if you're looking for more shows to enjoy whilst you wait for the series to return, check out our picks for the best BBC dramas we think you should be streaming right now.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin was a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produced a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. Now he works for our sister site Tom's Guide in the same role.

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.