Exclusive:Shetland hero Jimmy Perez 'unlikely to return' to small screen says author of book which inspired series

Ann Cleeves, who wrote Red Bones, which was made into a two part adaptation in 2013, which then went on to be developed into the Shetland series, said she believed the TV version would remain committed to telling the story of DI Ruth Calder, played by Ashley Jensen and her partner DS Alison "Tosh" McIntosh.

Ms Cleeves, who is to speak at crime festival Granite Noir in Aberdeen in February, published her latest novel, The Killing Stones, after a seven-year gap in the plot timeline in August. In the book, Perez moves to Orkney.

“That would be down to Dougie Henshall,” she said, referencing the actor who played Perez for the first seven series of Shetland.

“But I don’t think so. He has moved on and I like the two women together, they have a bot of a Cagney and Lacey feel about them. I really enjoy that. I think the TV show is absolutely brilliant.”

However, she hinted that there are likely to be more Perez novels set on Orkney in future.

“[Perez’s relocation] caused a bit of lively banter between Orkney and Shetland,” she said. “People seem to enjoy rediscovering Jimmy Perez. I just wanted to go north again and I think certainly I will [write about Orkney] again.

“Jimmy and his new partner Willow are there, happy and they’ve got a family and I’d quite like to explore how that works.”

At the festival, Ms Cleeves is to speak with other guests who have played their part in the success of the show, which is celebrating its 10th series. They will include forensic pathologist James Grieve who appears in the books as himself. Meanwhile, Shetland - Raven Black, part one and two of the BBC’s adaptation of the first Shetland mysteries, produced in 2013, will also be screened as part of a “special celebration” of the show at the festival, which has unveiled its full line up for next year.

She said the TV adaptation of Shetland had “changed my life”, allowing her to give up her day job working in libraries and focus full time on writing.

She said: “It was luck, partly, because Scandi Noir was quite a big deal at the time and there’s nowhere more Scandi in the UK than Shetland.”

Granite Noir X, celebrating its tenth edition, will also include appearances from crime writers including Denise Mina, Val McDermid and Shari Lapena.

Taking place across Aberdeen from Tuesday 17 to Sunday 22 February, it also includes appearances from Graeme Macrae Burnett, who will reflect on Booker nominations in A Grand Career to Date, while Doug Johnstone will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut novel, Tombstoning and his 20th book in as many years in an event called A Milestone Year.

Sharon Burgess , chief executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts, said: “This is a milestone year for Granite Noir. We are celebrating 10 years of this fabulous festival, joined by many of our friends from the gloriously gritty world of crime writing and of course the wonderful audiences who join us year after year to be part of the fun.

“Granite Noir is a multi-faceted event, with fascinating and insightful author conversations sitting alongside plays, spoken word performances, exhibitions, immersive experiences and more in a packed six days dedicated to enjoying all that the genre inspires and is inspired by.”

The festival will run from 17 to Sunday 22 February.

The full line up is available here.