BBC Shetland fans all say the same thing minutes into 'mad' opening scene

Shetland made an epic return to the this evening as it opened its ninth series with "mad" scenes. Just minutes in, fans were gripping the edge of their seats as DI Ruth Calder, played by , had her life hanging in the balance.

The opening few minutes showed guns, a dead limp dead body on a kitchen floor and a police raid - and that was all before the title screen ran. It comes as Ruth tried to talk down a jittery young man holding a shotgun over his brothers dead body.

Fans on social media had mixed reviews as they watched the gripping opening scene. Posting to X/Twitter, they shared their thoughts.

One user wrote: "Well that's some opening, right into a mad scene #Shetland," while another posted: "An interesting opening for Shetland tonight #Shetland."

A third theorised: "This is a really unusual opening for #Shetland. Wonder if we're going to go back in time?"

Someone else applauded the crime drama writing: "Marvellous opening. Ashley Jensen is so good. 'Are you wearing lippy?' #Shetland."

It has been a year since the popular show last appeared on the . The new series follows Ruth Calder and Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh (played by Alison O'Donnell) as they are tasked with investigating a double missing persons case.

When a woman, Annie Bent, goes missing with her nine-year-old son, set out on a case that blurs the line between the personal and professional, unravelling a chilling tale of disappearances and a labyrinth of an investigation for the detectives.

As their investigation deepens, Calder and Tosh meet Professor Euan Rossi who claims to have been Annie's Oxford University tutor, but they think there's more to him than meets the eye.

The search for the missing person pulls Tosh and Calder into a tangled web of lies. When a bloodied individual appears at a remote garage, the team is unprepared for the shocking events that await.

Elsewhere, DI Ruth Calder has now decided to take up permanent residence on the island. Much like the previous series, Shetland season nine will consist of six episodes in total.