Though Douglas Henshall has hung up his hat as DI Jimmy Perez in the celebrated Scottish crime drama Shetland, fans remain captivated by the man who brought the role to life.

Following its previous successful runs, Shetland returned to BBC One on Wednesday, November 6, this time with DI Ruth Calder, portrayed by Ashley Jensen, taking over from the beloved detective.

Despite a new series and a new DI, devotees of the show have not forgotten about the charismatic Douglas Henshall, with an avid interest brewing about the 58 year old's background and journey to fame.

Born in the small town of Barrhead in November 1965, Henshall navigated childhood with two siblings and parents who worked as a housewife-turned-nurse and a salesman.

Confessing his initial shyness, Henshall discovered solace in theatre, once revealing to The Scotsman in 2010: "I think the other side is finding something where you can express yourself and feel comfortable, and for me, that was on stage in front of lots of people."

Fuelled by his love for acting, he became part of the vibrant Glasgow Youth Theatre and later honed his craft at Mountview Theatre School, subsequently joining prestigious institutions like the Citizens' Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Launching his screen career, Henshall first appeared in the renowned series Taggart in 1990, essaying a motorcyclist.

He then embarked on a journey through various guest roles in shows such as Van der Valk, The Bill, Ghosts, and Sharpe.

It was then in 1993 that he appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence who crosses paths with the young adventurer, played by Sean Patrick Flanery.

Douglas Henshall, known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the sci-fi series Primeval, has had a successful career in the entertainment industry.

His role in Primeval was his biggest to date and catapulted him into the limelight, leading him to star in other hits like Dorian Gray, Collision, The Silence, Outlander and In Plain Sight.

In 2013, he began starring in the popular Scotland-set crime drama Shetland as troubled DI Jimmy Perez, a role he held for nine years.

However, in 2022, Henshall decided to leave Shetland behind, with his character Jimmy sacrificing his job to help an innocent man before moving elsewhere with love interest Meg (Lucianne McEvoy).

Despite his successful career, at the time of his departure from Shetland, Henshall expressed some concerns about his future in the entertainment industry to Radio Times.

"It's very difficult to make conscious decisions about what you're going to do when you're a 57-year-old white man", he said.

"There aren't so many roles around for me anymore. I think that's just a fact of getting older.

"People are looking for younger actors these days.

"There's a degree of, 'I've been offered that, I'm grateful for the job, I'll go and do it.'"

Despite these concerns, Henshall has continued to have a steady string of shows to work on including The Darkness, Murder Is Easy and Netflix's Who Is Erin Carter?.

Douglas Henshall, known for his role in Shetland, is set to captivate audiences alongside Heartstopper sensation Kit Connor in the upcoming mystery drama One Of Us.

The acclaimed actor is married to the talented Croatian playwright and screenwriter Tena Stivicic.

Stivicic, a Zagreb native, boasts an impressive academic background from the Academy of Dramatic Art and the University of London, where she completed her MA in Writing for Performance.

Her creative prowess extends to plays such as The Two Of Us, Fireflies, Invisible, Europe, and Three Winters, and she has also graced the silver screen in Croatian films like The Third Woman and Is It Clear My Friend? during the late 1990s.

Henshall and Stivicic's romance led them to tie the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2010, with Henshall gushing to The Scotsman about finding his "perfect match".

Fatherhood came knocking six years into their marriage with the arrival of their daughter Anja Grace, who, despite her father's fame, enjoys a life away from the public eye, save for the occasional Instagram appearance.

However, Henshall wasn't always set on the path of family life. In a candid 2017 interview with the Daily Mail, he revealed his initial hesitations: "I was never interested in being married or having children and now I'm married with a small daughter.

"My wife was keen to have a child and I thought, 'Well okay, let's give it a bash.'

"I was worried. You look at Mick Jagger having another kid at 73 and I was worried because I don't think that's responsible.

"My daughter is going to get people saying, 'Is that your grandpa coming to pick you up?'

"But I will be less selfish and I'll be able to help her a lot more than I would have if I had been a younger man."

Shetland is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.