Shetland star Douglas Henshall looks completely different in new Channel 5 drama
Douglas Henshall is a familiar face to fans of Shetland, where he played Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez for nearly a decade. Now, the actor is taking on a very different role, and first-look images from his new drama show just how much he has changed for the part.
Henshall stars as Robert Barrie in Forever Home, Channel 5’s six-part adaptation of Graham Norton’s bestselling novel. The drama centres on Carol Crottie, played by Amy Nuttall, whose life begins to unravel as her older partner Robert’s dementia worsens.
The mystery takes Carol back into Robert’s past, particularly the disappearance of his first wife, Joan, who left 20 years ago with Robert’s brother.
Douglas Henshall takes on a very different role
The new images offer a striking contrast with Henshall’s best-known role as Jimmy Perez in Shetland.
Henshall appeared in the crime drama from its launch in 2013 until 2022, becoming closely associated with the much-loved detective. In Forever Home, however, he steps into the role of Robert Barrie, a man whose deteriorating memory and troubled past become central to the story.
He appears alongside Amy Nuttall, Denise Welch and Lewis Cope, with Jenny Walser, Kevin Whately and Shane Zaza also among the cast.
The series was commissioned by 5 earlier this year as a television adaptation of Norton’s novel.
What is Forever Home about?
The story begins with Carol Crottie becoming increasingly concerned about Robert as his dementia worsens.
She starts to question why he is so determined to remain in their home and whether his refusal to leave has anything to do with Joan, his first wife, who disappeared with Robert’s brother two decades earlier.
Joan left behind two young children, Kaden, played by Lewis Cope, and Sally, played by Jenny Walser.
Robert’s growing anxiety about a hidden basement only deepens Carol’s suspicions. With the help of her mother, Moira, Carol begins investigating what happened to Joan and where she might be.
But the deeper she digs, the more complicated Robert’s history becomes. The secrets he has kept for years prove difficult to unravel.
Graham Norton on bringing the novel to television
Graham Norton previously explained that the idea for Forever Home began with something relatively simple: the experience of packing up a home later in life and the questions that can arise from relationships in later years.
As the novel developed, Norton said it became a darker and more twisted story, combining farcical moments with the complications of Carol’s situation.
He said he was pleased to see the character’s story given greater depth as a television screenplay.
The series is being co-produced by FilmNation Entertainment and The Mediapro Studio, with support from the North East Production Fund and North East Screen.
FilmNation TV UK creative director Kirstie Macdonald also praised the source material when the adaptation was announced, saying she immediately wanted to bring Norton’s novel to the screen.
She highlighted the story’s twists, secrets and emotional depth, as well as the opportunity to bring it to a 5 audience.
When can viewers watch Forever Home?
Forever Home is a six-part drama for Channel 5, with Douglas Henshall leading the cast as Robert Barrie alongside Amy Nuttall as Carol Crottie.
The series was filmed in Northumberland and has now aired on Channel 5, with the six-part run beginning on 14 September 2026. Episodes are also available to stream through Channel 5.
For Henshall, the drama marks a major change from his years as Jimmy Perez in Shetland, giving viewers the chance to see him in a very different kind of role.