From Shetland to Vigil and Rebus - which TV shows are returning?

The Herald Scotland

a day ago

It has been a beloved staple since 2013 and the good news is that BBC Scotland's popular murder mystery drama will be back for a landmark 10th series.
Filming for Shetland, based on the books of Ann Cleeves, began earlier this year, with Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell reprising their roles as DI Ruth Calder and DI Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh respectively.
The six-part run will see our intrepid crime-fighting duo travel to the clachan of Lunniswick to investigate the death of an elderly woman.
Also returning are Steven Robertson as DC Sandy Wilson, Lewis Howden as Sgt Billy McCabe and Anne Kidd as forensic pathologist Cora McLean, with Amandaland and The History Boys actor Samuel Anderson joining the cast as procurator fiscal Matt Blake.
Confirmed guest stars include Clive Russell (The Witcher), Ellie Haddington (Guilt), Niall MacGregor (The Bombing of Pan AM 103) and Greg McHugh (Only Child).
Status: expected to air later this year.
Dept.Q
One of the best things on telly in 2025 so far, Dept. Q won a loyal legion of aficionados. Adapted from the novels of the same name by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the Netflix drama saw Nordic noir transformed into Tartan noir with pitch-perfect prowess.
Frank Scott, director/writer of The Queen's Gambit, who championed its leap from books to screen, said at one stage a version set in Boston was considered, 'but it just didn't feel right.'
Edinburgh was sublime as the setting for the twisting plot and dry humour of Dept. Q Throw in a stellar cast – led by Matthew Goode as the brilliant and incorrigible DCI Carl Morck – and we had ourselves gripping, bingeworthy viewing.
Will Dept. Q get a second run? The actors and key creatives are certainly making all the right noises. Fingers crossed for renewal news soon.
Status: unconfirmed.
Gregor Fisher and Greg in Only Child (Image: BBC)
Only Child
Gregor Fisher and Greg McHugh playing a chalk-and-cheese father and son make for a comedy gold double act.
Only Child, created and written by Bryce Hart, debuted on BBC Scotland and BBC One last November. Described by actor McHugh as 'a humorous look at the circle of life', it was packed with warmth, laughs and wholly relatable scenarios.
It has been confirmed for a second outing which will see Ken and Richard Pritchard (Fisher and McHugh) bicker their way 'through everything from driving lessons and explaining what a QR code is to buying your own coffin.'
Status: expected to air in 2026.
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The Rig
There are still multiple loose threads to tie up in Prime Video's sci-fi thriller. Fans of the show, which stars Martin Compston, Iain Glen and Emily Hampshire, have been left on tenterhooks since the start of the year, when the second series aired.
As yet, there is no word on whether The Rig – which centres around the peril-stricken crew of a fictional North Sea oil rig – will be given a third run.
Filming schedules may prove the biggest obstacle, with many of the main cast committed to meaty projects. Compston has Paramount+ thriller The Revenge Club, ITV's Red Eye 2 and BBC's Line of Duty in the works, while Hampshire is tied to Marvel's Vision Quest for Disney+
Status: unconfirmed.
Two Doors Down is a firm favourite with many viewers (Image: BBC)
Two Doors Down
It has been almost two years since the BBC sitcom starring Elaine C Smith, Alex Norton, Arabella Weir, Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson last appeared on our screens.
Many believed that the loss of co-creator Simon Carlyle, who died in 2023, would spell the end for the hit TV show. However, Gregor Sharp, who created and wrote Two Doors Down alongside Carlyle, has penned a new Christmas special, which will air this December.
The cast, including Smith, Norton, Weir, Mackichan and Watson, will all return alongside fellow favourites Graeme Stevely, aka Grado, Joy McAvoy, Jamie Quinn and Kieran Hodgson, seeing the residents of Latimer Crescent congregate to celebrate the festive season.
As Sharp deftly puts it: 'Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family and then becoming low level irritated by them.'
Status: due to air in December 2025.
Karen Pirie
Based on the Inspector Karen Pirie novels by Val McDermid, the long-awaited second run of the ITV crime drama reached its compelling finale earlier this month.
Starring Lauren Lyle as the titular police detective investigating cold case murders, the first two series were adapted from McDermid's works The Distant Echo and A Darker Domain.
The debut instalment saw Pirie reopen an investigation into the 1996 murder of a teenage barmaid in St Andrews, whose death had become the subject of a true crime podcast. The second series focused on the 1984 kidnapping of an oil fortune heiress and her baby son.
There is still plenty of material to draw from in the seven-strong book series, with an eighth Karen Pirie title, Silent Bones, set to be published in October.
Status: unconfirmed.
Rebus
Outlander star Richard Rankin will reprise his role as John Rebus for a second series of the critically acclaimed, contemporary reimagining of Sir Ian Rankin's crime books.
Adapted for TV by Gregory Burke – whose past work includes the seminal National Theatre of Scotland play Black Watch – the gritty Edinburgh-set drama lays bare Rebus's formative years and the events that shaped him.
Filming is tipped to begin next year. Rebus creator Sir Ian Rankin, who has written 25 full novels about the no-nonsense detective, serves as an executive producer on the BBC show. He is thrilled to see it recommissioned.
He said: 'Season one of Rebus ended on a cliffhanger. Only screenwriter Gregory Burke knows what happens next. So, I'm hugely excited that season two will soon be with us. Rebus is back – mean, moody and as magnificent as ever.'
Status: expected to air in 2027.
Balamory
The pastel-hued, fictional Scottish town of Balamory has been dusted off from mothballs after a two-decade hiatus, with filming for the reboot of the classic BBC children's series under way.
Much-loved characters Miss Hoolie, PC Plum, Penny Pocket and Edie McCredie – played by Julie Wilson Nimmo, Andrew Agnew, Kim Tserkezie and Juliet Cadzow respectively – will be back alongside a clutch of new characters.
Originally shown from 2002 to 2005, Balamory became a childhood staple for many youngsters. According to the BBC, this reincarnation will see it 'lovingly reimagined for today's families, retaining its original spirit while introducing fresh elements to captivate young viewers'.
Status: expected to air in 2026.
Outlander is written by Diana Gabaldon (Image: unknown)
Outlander
Filming for the eighth and final series of Outlander – based on the best-selling novels of Diana Gabaldon – wrapped last autumn and now begins the long goodbye.
The historical drama, starring Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, first aired in 2014. It has enjoyed global popularity and sparked a tourism boom for Scotland, where the hit show was made.
Many avid viewers will be sad to see it end. Yet, there is still life in the Outlander universe: a new spin-off prequel, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, launched earlier this month.
Status: Outlander is expected to air in early 2026. Watch Outlander: Blood of My Blood on MGM+ via Prime Video now.
Dinosaur
The debut series of the BBC Three comedy drama – co-created by and starring Glasgow-born comedian, writer and actor Ashley Storrie – won two Bafta Scotland awards, seeing it recommissioned for a second run, with filming under way this summer.
Dinosaur follows an autistic woman in her thirties and takes its name from Storrie's character Nina who works as a palaeontologist at the fictional Natural History Museum of Glasgow. The cast includes Greg Hemphill, Sally Howitt and Kat Ronney.
Status: expected to air in 2026.
Granite Harbour is set in Aberdeenshire (Image: BBC)
Granite Harbour
DCI Lara 'Bart' Bartlett and her marvellous collection of neckerchiefs are back, with a third series of BBC's Granite Harbour in production. Hannah Donaldson plays Bartlett, alongside Romario Simpson as her right-hand man DC Davis Lindo.
The new three-part run will see the pair investigate a suspicious death in Aberdeenshire, as tricky details about 'a complicated cross-community romance' emerge.
Status: expected to air in 2026.
Vigil
A Trident nuclear submarine and under-attack air force base were the backdrops for previous instalments of pacy BBC thriller Vigil. The upcoming third series is set to unfold at a remote Arctic research station where a covert British special forces mission has been shot dead.
Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie return as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre respectively. Their latest case: find the killer and diffuse a potential international flashpoint, centred around a deadly land-grab for untapped resources in the changing polar climate.
Status: expected to air in 2026.
Susan Swarbrick is a columnist and freelance writer who specialises in celebrity interviews, TV content and musings on popular culture. Follow her on X @SusanSwarbrick and Bluesky @susanswarbrick.bsky.social