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Freya Monk

Freya Monk is known for Shetland (2013).

Marjolein Robertson

Marjolein Robertson is a Scottish stand-up comedian and actress from Shetland. She was Scots Speaker of the Year. She has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe and her 2023 show "Marj" was nominated for an award. In 2019 Robertson moved to Glasgow, but returned to Shetland when she could no longer perform during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst the country was in lockdown she performed comedy online and worked in care. Robertson lived briefly in Amsterdam performing improvisational comedy where she was encouraged to try stand-up comedy. She made her Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut after only a handful of gigs and would write and practise her act in Shetland on her own to an empty room. In 2022, Robertson received funding to write an almanac in the Shetland dialect.At the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Robertson performed a one-woman show at The Stand comedy club entitled Thank God Fish Don’t Have Hands. In September 2022, she won in the Scots Speaker of the Year category at the Scots Leid Awards. The following month she reached the final of the BBC New Comedy Awards after winning the regional Scottish heat. In 2022 she was awarded second place in the final of the Funny Women awards. At the 2023 Edinburgh Festival, Robertson performed an eponymous one-woman stand-up show Marj. The show was nominated for best show at the (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023 alongside acts such as Ed Byrne, Luke Kempner and Paul Foot. At the 2023 Fringe she also appeared in the historical play Me, Myself and Mary (Queen of Scots).

Steven Robertson

Cast · Known for Shetland

Steven Robertson (born 1 January 1977, in Vidlin, Shetland Islands, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who overcame severe dyslexia to be named Student of the Year at Fife College in Kirkcaldy, before becoming the first Shetlander accepted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 2004 he was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for his role in Chekhov's The Seagull, and his first major film role came that same year opposite James McAvoy in Inside I'm Dancing (as Michael Connolly, a young man with cerebral palsy). His most notable film credits include an Angelic Priest in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Jonathan in Joyeux Noël (2005), Sir Francis Throckmorton in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007, directed by Shekhar Kapur), Minister Davit Kezerashvili in 5 Days of War (2011), Junior Technician Pinnock in The Tourist (2010, with Johnny Depp), Francis Begbie's lawyer in T2 Trainspotting (2017), and Jim in Tell It to the Bees (2018). On television he is best known as Detective Constable Sandy Wilson in Shetland (2013–present, 62 episodes, BBC One), Dominic Rook in Being Human (2008–2013, 7 episodes, BBC Three), Robert Oswald in Harlots (2017, with Heather Graham), Richard Pritchard in Doctor Who (2015), Sergeant Bob Fraser in Red Riding (2009), Cuthbert Clare in Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008), Mark Bradwell in The Bay (2019, ITV, 6 episodes), and Ian in Channel Zero (2018, 6 episodes), with additional credits in Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012), In the Flesh (2014), Utopia (2014), Vera (2018), Auggie (2021), and Survivor (2015).

Angus Miller

Cast · Known for Shetland

Angus Miller is a Scottish actor from Dundee having gained his training at Drama Centre London. He is known for Shetland (2013), Outlander (2014) and Guilt (2019).

Mark Bonnar

Cast · Known for Shetland

Richard Mark Bonnar is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in Guilt, Duncan Hunter in Shetland, Bruno Jenkins in Casualty, Detective Finney in Psychoville, DCC Mike Dryden in Line of Duty, Colin Osborne in Unforgotten, Townsend in Battlefield 1 and Field in Summer of Rockets.

Sara Vickers

Cast · Known for Outlander: Blood of My Blood

Sara Vickers grew up in Edinburgh. A stage and screen actor best known for her role as Joan Thursday, in ITV's Inspector Morse prequel, Endeavour (2013-2016), as well as Sunshine on Leith (2013) and Shetland (2016). She moved to London to train at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), graduating in 2010.

Anneika Rose

Cast · Known for Shetland

Anneika Rose has family from Sri Lanka. She was born and grew up in Glasgow, the second oldest of six children. Rose has appeared on UK television shows including Shetland, The Midwich Cuckoos, Line of Duty, Deadwater Fell and Ackley Bridge. She also appeared in successful theatre productions of Romeo And Juliet, Behind The Beautiful Forevers and The Empress.

Ann Cleeves

Creator · Known for Vera

Ann Cleeves is a British mystery crime writer. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland.

Claire Rafferty

Claire Rafferty is a Northern Irish actress. She studied drama at Queen's University Belfast (2000 – 2003) followed by London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. On television, she played Anna Haldane in the first series of Shetland, Detective Constable Christine Larkin in The Fall series 2 and 3, Tabitha Richie (lead role) in Banged Up Abroad: Bogota Belly Bust, and deputy headmistress Miss Mooney in all series of Derry Girls.

Fiona Bell

Cast · Known for Shetland

Fiona Bell is a Scottish actress, known for her role as Sergeant Angela McLeod in the ITV drama series Soldier Soldier (1997–1998), as Donna Killick in the BBC One crime drama series Shetland (2018) and as Hilary in the BBC One drama series The Nest (2020). Bell was born in Rosneath then part of Dunbartonshire, Scotland. She took an interest in acting and joined the Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow at the age of 15. She graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a BA Acting degree in 1986.

Julia Brown

Cast · Known for Shetland

Julia Brown is a Scottish actress and singer. She stars as Lois Bennett in the BBC series World on Fire. She also appeared in the CBBC series M.I. High and the crime drama Shetland. Brown is from Edinburgh. She participated in school plays and local theatre productions as a part of the MGA Academy of Performing Arts Brown was 16 when she auditioned for M.I. High on CBBC, making her television debut and joining the main cast as Keri Summers for its seventh and final series. She was subsequently signed by Ruth Young at United Agents; she is also represented by Model Team. Brown had a recurring role as Molly Kilmuir in the fourth and sixth series of the BBC One crime drama Shetland. She also had a role as Ecgwyn in the third and fourth series of the Netflix medieval drama The Last Kingdom. In 2018, it was announced Brown would star as Lois Bennett in Peter Bowker's World War II drama World on Fire, which premiered as a miniseries on BBC One in 2019 before being renewed for a second series. She starred as Katherine Walker in the 2020 television film Anthony by Jimmy McGovern for the BBC.

Keith Ramsay

Keith graduated from Mountview before going on to film Sky 1's Little Crackers alongside Dylan Moran. He has also been the regular character of Stuart McAndrew in New Tricks, and has appeared in Shetland, Doctors, Beds and most recently Casualty, all for the BBC. Theatre credits include Doug in The Cereal Cafe at The Other Palace, leading roles at Watford Palace Theatre and several productions at the The Globe. He was also nominated for an "Offie" for his "mesmerising" performance in the title role of Billy, in Michael Strassens' revival at the Union Theatre. From Rossmore Management

Natali McCleary

Natali McCleary is known as an Actor and Choreographer. Some of her work includes Wild Rose, Jamie Johnson, Shetland, Guilt, Ludwig, and Mayflies.

Ed Moore

Cinematographer · Known for Silo

Ed Moore BSC is a British cinematographer represented by WPA. He was born in Cornwall and began his career in theatrical lighting before moving into film lighting and eventually working as a DP. Along with two features, he's worked extensively in high-end TV dramas including Doctor Who, This Way Up, Dark Heart (2018), Shetland (2017) and Vera (2017).

Derek Riddell

Derek Riddell (born 11 January 1967) is a Scottish television and theatre actor. He is best known for the portrayal of Richard Cawood in the BBC One television series Happy Valley. He is also known for Gentleman Jack, Industry and The Missing. He has guest-starred in Doctor Who, Ugly Betty, Silent Witness, Waterloo Road, and Shetland. Riddell was born in Glasgow, the son of teacher and former actress Hope Ross and former St Mirren and Berwick Rangers footballer Ian Riddell. He graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a degree in business, before training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1990.

Ashley Jensen

Cast · Known for Arthur Christmas, Shetland, How to Train Your Dragon

Ashley Jensen (born August 11, 1969) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Maggie Jacobs in Extras (2005–2007, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award), Christina McKinney in Ugly Betty (2006–2010), Agatha Raisin in Agatha Raisin (2014–present), and DI Ruth Calder in Shetland (2023–present). Jensen trained in Drama at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. Her first significant television role was as Clare Donnelly, daughter of Glasgow criminal Jo-Jo Donnelly (played by Billy Connolly) in the 1993 BBC drama Down Among the Big Boys. In 1994, she played eccentric secretary Rosie McConnichy in the final series of BBC comedy May to December, as a replacement for the character of secretary Hilary (Rebecca Lacey), and Heather in Roughnecks, a BBC television series about workers on a North Sea oil platform. Jensen had a small role in a Dangerfield episode "Contact" as the mother of a young girl with meningitis. She then appeared as Fiona Morris in EastEnders. She also appeared in the 2003 BBC drama Two Thousand Acres of Sky. Jensen co-starred alongside Ricky Gervais in the BBC Two/HBO television programme Extras as the socially inept Maggie Jacobs. For her work on the first series, she received best television comedy actress and newcomer awards at the 2005 British Comedy Awards. In 2006, Jensen received two British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her role in Extras. Her role in the 2007 Christmas Special earned her an Emmy Award nomination. In January 2006 she starred in the short-lived drama series Eleventh Hour on ITV. Later that year she played Steve Coogan's agent in A Cock and Bull Story. In 2007, she provided the narration for the film Taking Liberties. In 2014, she played the eponymous lead character in the television film adaptation of the M. C. Beaton novel Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death for Sky1. She also starred in the eight-part series that first aired on Sky1 on 7 June 2016. In 2017, she starred in a six-part TV series for BBC TV, Love, Lies & Records, depicting the gritty life and entwined storylines working in Leeds Registry Office. In March 2019, Jensen reunited with Gervais in the Netflix black comedy series After Life, a role she continued for all three series. In April 2019 she played Debbie Dorell in the second series of BBC TV drama Trust Me. When an injured soldier discovers patients in his hospital ward dying, he attempts to investigate the suspicious deaths. Also in 2019, she played the voice of Jacqueline in Lady and the Tramp.

Marcel Jeannin

Marcel Jeannin (born December 1968, Canada) is a Canadian actor and voice actor based in Montreal, Quebec, fluent in French. He began his career with the Stratford Festival in 1991. In film, he has appeared in Affliction (1997), Wicker Park (2004), 300 (2006), Long Shot (2019), and Charlie Tango (2024). On television he had a lead role on Snakes and Ladders (2004) and appeared in Three Pines (2022) and Tokyo Vice (2022). In voice work, he is known as Douglas Shetland in the Splinter Cell series, Mark Thruss in Watch Dogs 2 (2016), and voices in the Assassin's Creed series. He has also done motion capture work on Watch Dogs (2014) and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011).

Sophia Carr-Gomm

Sophia Carr-Gomm has a diverse background in the film and TV industry, working as a director, writer, producer, and casting director. Initially trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she appeared in TV series such as Shetland (BBC), Mr. Selfridge (ITV), and World’s End (BBC), as well as in theatre productions like The Cardinal at Southwark Playhouse and King Lear at The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. In 2018, Sophia transitioned into directing, while also working in feature film script development, reading, and pre-production with Midsummer Films. Her debut short, The Wider Sun, premiered at BFI Southbank and won Best Director at the Oslo Film Festival. Notable follow-up films include Nobody’s Darling and Mine, which screened at BAFTA-qualifying festivals such as the London Short Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, and Raindance. In 2021, she was invited to judge at London Film Week, and that same year, she was featured in Pitch Fanzine’s “New Talent to Watch,” with Mine earning a Shiny Award. From 2022 to 2024, Sophia worked as sole casting assistant on TV projects The Diplomat (Alibi), Six Four (ITV), Payback (ITV), Molly & Mack (CBBC), and Shetland (BBC). She served as casting director for the short films Sleep Hunger (Stormjar) and We Have Till Dawn (NFTS Grad film), and in 2024, she was the local casting director for the feature film I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones and produced by Tempo Productions. She also cast the Short Circuit-funded (BFI & Screen Scotland) film This Desert Will Rust Your Bones. She regularly collaborates with MTP and cast coordinates and street casts for commercials. Sophia’s writing includes the libretto for Ben Rowarth’s music piece The Fall, set to premiere in 2025. She produced the documentary The Sound of the Wind for the Scottish Documentary Institute, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2023. Additionally, her viral campaign for the charity Pregnant Then Screwed gained significant attention on Instagram. Currently, Sophia continues to work across multiple roles in the industry, including directing, writing and casting. She lectures in Acting for Camera and Casting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and teaches Directing Narrative Filmmaking on the Film & Television course at Edinburgh University. She regularly participates in Q&As and hosts workshops on filmmaking, casting and acting for students. Her latest project, Return, funded by the Genesis Foundation, is being submitted to film festivals.

Rakie Ayola

Cast · Known for Bad Apples

Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola is a Welsh actress. She was born in Cardiff in May 1968, to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Nigerian father, and was raised by her mother's cousin and his wife in the Ely district of the city. She studied at Glan Ely High School, and was a member of the Orbit Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Choir and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She went on to attend the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, studying for a three-year acting diploma. In 2023 Rakie Ayola was the 18th recipient of the prestigious BAFTA Cymru Siân Phillips Award. At the same ceremony she also won the Bafta Cymru Best Actress Award for her performance in BBC1 series The Pact Season 2 on which she was an Executive Producer. In 2021 Rakie Ayola won BAFTA Best Supporting Actress for BBC1 film Anthony by Jimmy McGovern. Ayola has appeared in television shows including Kaos, The Pact Season 1, Grace, Shetland, No Offence, Midsomer Murders, Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Been So Long, Now Is Good, Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside, Dredd, and Sahara. She appeared as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City from its eighth to eleventh series.

Sharif Dorani

Sharif was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the time of the Soviet Union's occupation of the country. The Soviet occupation, the Mujahideen Civil War and the Taliban's initial takeover of Kabul in 1996 forced Sharif (with his parents and siblings) to flee to many countries, including Pakistan, Iran and the Central Asian States. While the numerous journeys weren't easy, they had their advantage: the exposure enabled Sharif to learn about different cultures and speak numerous languages, including Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, and some Arabic. After a long and dangerous voyage in late 1999, Sharif, along with his parents, claimed asylum in the UK. Although he'd come far away from the danger of the brutal wars, a new set of challenges presented themselves; chief among them was the language. But Sharif knew he had to learn English and catch up on his education. He committed to studying during the day and worked at night (in factories or as a pizza delivery driver). The hard work paid off: he gained undergraduate and master's degrees in Law from The University of Northampton and UCL, respectively, and a PhD in the United States' Middle Eastern Policy from Durham University. While he learned to love the UK and adopted it as a second home, his love for his native country has never diminished. He has authored several articles and two acclaimed books on Afghanistan: "The Lone Leopard", a novel set in Afghanistan, and "America in Afghanistan", published by Bloomsbury Publishing House. His passion, linguistic skills and in-depth knowledge of the Middle East and South Asia, as well as his postgraduate training from one of the most prestigious schools in London, have enabled Sharif to be part of some major projects by established production houses, including The Millennium Media' war movie and Critic Choice award nominee The Outpost, CBC Films/Lionsgate's action thriller film American Assassin, Channel 5's television movie Agatha and The Curse of Ishtar, Netflix's political thriller series The Diplomat, BBC's BAFTA Awards winner detective drama series Shetland, the Emmy Award-winning series Homeland, Fox's Drama series Deep State, Apple's thriller Disclaimer, Canal+'s French multi-awards winner series The Bureau, Channel 4's the Royal Television Society-UK winner series No Offence, ITV's longest-running police series The Bill and SKY's series Strike Back.

Lucianne McEvoy

Cast · Known for Shetland

Lucianne McEvoy is an Irish stage, television and film actress. From South Dublin, she began acting as a teenager in youth theatre projects in Bray at the Dry Rain Youth Theatre. She attended Dublin's Institute of Education and pursued acting at the Samuel Beckett Centre at Trinity College Dublin. In 2014, she appeared in The Libertine at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. The following year she starred at Òran Mór, Glasgow, in the Jean Racine 17th century play Andromaque adapted By Frances Poet. In 2016 at the Citizens Theatre she appeared in an adaptation of the 1900 August Strindberg play The Dance of Death, and in Conor McPherson play The Weir at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. In 2017, she appeared as Siobhan in the play adaptation of the Mark Haddon novel, The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time. In January 2018, she appeared in an adaptation of Rona Munro's Bold Girls at the Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow. Later that year, she played Ruth in David Ireland's satirical dark comedy Ulster American at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.It won the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award for that year. In 2024, she had a main role in the comedy play So Young at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She appeared as Tara in television series NY-LON. She had a recurring role as Meg Pattison in series six and seven of BBC One crime drama series Shetland. In 2023, she acted in the film The Problem with People alongside Paul Reiser and Colm Meaney. In 2024, she played Kate Ward in ITVX espionage thriller television series Red Eye.

Eubha Akilade

Cast · Known for Shetland

Eubha Akilade ( born 27 June 1998) is a Scottish actress, dancer, and filmmaker. She is known for her roles as Lily Watson on the CBBC series Eve (2015–2017) and Ines Le Breton on the Hulu series Find Me in Paris (2018–2020). Akilade was born on 27 June 1998 in Cathcart, Scotland. She is of Nigerian descent, was born to mother Christine, a Macmillan Cancer Support nurse, and she has a brother and a sister. Akilade began attending the Dance School of Scotland in Knightswood, but quit when she secured her role in Eve. Akilade made her professional debut as Lily Watson in the CBBC children's series Eve in 2015, a role she portrayed until 2017, despite having no formal training. Then in 2017, she appeared in two episodes of the BBC Three series Clique as a receptionist. Later that year, she was cast as Ines Le Breton in the Hulu series Find Me in Paris, a role she portrayed until 2020. On her casting, Akilade commented: "Within two weeks of the audition, I found out that I’d got the part and that I was flying to Paris for the next six months two weeks later". In 2020, Akilade joined the cast of the BBC Scotland crime drama Shetland for its seventh series as PC Lorna Burns. She also appeared in episodes of the soap operas Doctors and Casualty. In 2023, she had recurring roles as Olivia O'Neill in the ITVX thriller Six Four and Amy Callaghan in the Alibi thriller The Diplomat. Akilade made her professional stage debut originating the role of Rebecca in the musical Starter for Ten at the Bristol Old Vic.

William Swetland

Alan L. Shefland

Editor · Known for Quantum Leap