Who is Shetland star Steven Miller? Everything we know

Shetland is back! The BBC's popular crime drama returned with its eighth season on Wednesday night with a fresh crime to solve and a new lead detective, Ruth Calder, played by Extras star Ashley Jensen. 

The new series follows Met Police DI Ruth as she returns to Shetland after 30 years whilst investigating a murder case in London.

Ashley isn't the only newcomer to the show, however. A whole new raft of guest stars have joined the cast, including actor Steven Miller, who plays Reverend Alan Calder, Ruth's brother. But who is the actor and where have you seen him before? Keep reading to find out...

WATCH: Ashley Jensen stars in Shetland season 8

Who is Shetland's Steven Miller and what has he been in before? 

Steven Miller is a 41-year-old Scottish actor.  

He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Lenny Lyons in the medical drama Casualty, but has also appeared in shows such as Silent Witness, Our Girl, Holby City and The Bill.

More recently, he portrayed young Lenny in ITV's true crime drama, The Walk-In, which also starred Stephen Graham. 

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Having trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Steven is also a star of the stage and has appeared in numerous theatre productions, including Richard III and A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic.

Who does Steven Miller play in Shetland?

Steven plays Ruth's estranged brother, Alan, who is the minister of their late father's old church.

In episode one, we learn that the siblings have a strained relationship and that Ruth didn't even attend her brother's wedding, or her father's funeral. 

Ruth tells her brother: "I don't know what kind of life you had with him after I left but my experience of our dad was not good. I didn't like him and he certainly didn't like me."

Steven Miller's private life

Steven keeps his Instagram account private, so little is known about his life away from the cameras. 

However, according to the fan website Holby.tv, the actor has been married to a woman named Jessica since 2011. 

READ: Everything Shetland's Douglas Henshall has said about leaving the show

What happens in Shetland season 8?

Season eight sees the introduction of new detective, Ruth Calder, who returns to her native Shetland from London after 30 years away. 

Ruth, who is a DI for the Met Police, arrives on the Scottish archipelago in search of a vulnerable witness to a gangland murder. 

Upon Ruth's arrival, DI Tosh is forced to pause her investigation into a string of mysterious animal deaths to help the London detective track down the witness.

The synopsis continues: "Ellen's family are the influential and notorious Bains, led by dominant matriarch, Grace (Phyllis Logan). Calder and Tosh discover her mother Stella (Dawn Steele) and father Kieran (Barry O’Connor) haven’t seen Ellen since she left for London six months ago and are surprised to hear that she’s back in Shetland.

"Matters are made worse when armed hitmen - the experienced Howell (Don Gilét) and volatile Nowak (Arnas Fedaravičius) - arrive on the Isles on a mission to silence Ellen. On top of the twists and turns of the case, Calder is faced with figures from her past including her ex-boyfriend Cal Innes (Jamie Sives) and estranged younger brother Alan (Steven Miller) – now the minister of their late father’s old kirk. However, these siblings have starkly different views of their shared childhood. It’s clear from the off, Calder has no love for Tosh’s adopted home and their journey into the dark recesses of Shetland's past and present will test their partnership to the limit."

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