BBC Shetland's Lewis Howden famous family as character Billy McCabe gets new role

Shetland has made a comeback with its 10th series, featuring Alison O'Donnell and Ashley Jensen reprising their roles as DI Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh and DI Ruth Calder. Steven Robertson returns as Sandy, and Lewis Howden is back as Sgt Billy McCabe.

Lewis has been a staple of the show since it first aired in 2013, but the 10th series brings a new experience for the actor as he'll be filming on location in the Shetland Isles, a departure from his usual studio-based office scenes.

Discussing the change in setting, Billy revealed: "Much to my surprise and excitement I filmed a scene outside the police station in Lerwick back Season 4, which involved Billy having a wee tea break and had a chat with Perez as he was leaving. I had a great time, and it put an end to the teasing I got from everyone for being the one left behind in Glasgow while they're away on location!".

"However, apart from that one scene all those years ago, until this season, all my stuff has been filmed in studio. So, it was wonderful to spend some time up on the Shetland Isles on location this series and be part of the on location filming experience. The teasing can finally stop now!".

The new series delves into Billy's personal life for the first time. His wife Morag was a colleague of the victim, Eadie Tulloch, at Shetland social services.

Eadie's late husband Robert was once Billy's sergeant in the police force. The Tullochs were mentors and friends to the McCabes, making Eadie's death particularly hard for them.

Meanwhile, while Lewis will be filming his new scenes on location, fans might be intrigued to learn that he isn't the only well-known face in his family.

Lewis Howden's sibling is Kathryn Howden, an actress known for her role as Maggie McLean in the BBC Scottish soap opera River City, where she has been a mainstay since 2017.

Kathryn's other acting credits include appearances in Taggart, Pramface, Outlander, Six Four, and more recently, Murder Is Easy. She also portrayed Sophie Dalglish in the BBC's popular medical drama, Silent Witness.

A family brimming with talent, Lewis and Kathryn's father was Alex 'Happy' Howden. Alex was a stand-up comedian before securing roles in notable films and television shows such as Rab C Nesbitt, Monarch Of The Glen, The Acid House, Strictly Sinatra, and A Shot At Glory.

He also played a hangman in Martin Scorsese's 2002 epic Gangs Of New York, sharing the screen with Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Following his passing in 2015, Irvine Welsh paid a heartfelt tribute to Alex, describing him as "one of the nicest and funniest people it's been my privilege to know".