Shetland star says 'hands stopped working' as she opens up on brutal filming conditions

Shetland star Ashley Jensen has shared the real challenges of filming the popular series, as she steps into the spotlight for its ninth season.

The 55-year-old actress is set to captivate viewers tonight as she returns to her role as DI Ruth Calder in the BBC's acclaimed drama.

Having taken the lead from DI Jimmy Pere, Jensen now helms the show which has left fans on tenterhooks for nearly a year.

In anticipation of the new episodes, Ashley joined Alex Jones and Vernon Kay on Wednesday's The One Show, where she recounted how the harsh Shetland climate affected shooting. She said: "This year we got the proper Shetland weather and we had snow in April and 60-mile-an-hour wind and it was very very cold."

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Ashley went on to describe the extreme conditions they faced on location, explaining: "Every time we go to Shetland it's all pretty much filmed outside because that's the part we have to show as they are authentic Shetland islands so we had to have heat pads in our pockets."

She also recalled a particularly tough day on set, saying: "At one point we had to shoot a scene where I had to get out of a car and get a phone and house keys out of my pocket and my hands literally stopped working and it was genuine frustration. It was pretty cold."

While speaking about working on a remote island, the actress disclosed how the unpredictable weather pinned her down during filming, reports .

She said: "You can't get home unless you have five days clear of no filming. You have to stay on the Island because the weather can literally turn at any moment."

Ashley went on to describe how swift changes in weather affected departures, explaining: "There could be beautiful sun, then by the time you get to the airport, there is a thing called haar, which is a sea mist that comes down and planes can't take off or land so they keep you there. But I think that is quite good because it leads to everyone having a bit of camaraderie and everybody getting along."

Shetland airs from 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.