Bleak outlook for islands

TO be honest, I'm surprised to see BBC1's crime drama SHETLAND returning tonight (9pm) for yet another series.

- Mike Ward

Not because I think it's a bad show. Quite the opposite: I think it's tremendous, in an addictively bleak kind of way.

But bear in mind, it's been bumping off Shetlanders on a regular basis since March 2013.

Given that this was hardly the most densely populated part of the UK to begin with, it's a wonder there's anyone left.

The police's job - specifically, that of Ruth and Tosh, AKA Detective Inspectors Calder and McIntosh (Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell) - must certainly be getting easier. As the population continues to drop (in every sense), they have fewer and fewer suspects to sift through.