Why Shetland star Douglas Henshall really left BBC drama as Jimmy Perez after seven-year stint

dailyrecord.co.uk:

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Shetland. Shetland season nine is ready to make its debut but why exactly did actor Douglas Henhall depart from the hit BBC drama?It has been more than two years since fans waved goodbye to DI Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall) as he drove off into the sunset with his love interest Meg (Lucianne McEvoy).After suspecting that American artist Lloyd Anderson was innocent of a murder back in the 1980s, he made the noble sacrifice of letting him go which meant giving up job as a detective.While it was sad to see him leave the force behind, Jimmy seemed happy to move away from the area and start again, making room for DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) to make her mark.When Henshall first announced his exit from the BBC drama, he spoke of his love for Shetland and the crews working in front and behind the camera.In a statement, he said: "It's been one of the privileges of my career to play Jimmy Perez for almost 10 years and to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera, and also to spend so much time in Shetland.“The isles were so much a part of our show and of Perez himself.

I'll miss him and the place."Henshall later remarked that he had felt for some time that his character Jimmy’s story had reached a natural conclusion and wanted to explore other opportunities.Opening up to the BBC, the actor explained: "It was time to find a resolution to Perez's private life.“I never wanted to ruin the things that were unique to him and our series so it felt like the right time to wrap up his story in a way that would be satisfactory to everybody. "I am aware we're not changing the world in any way, shape or form but as far as crime shows go, Shetland does