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Shetland: viewers "mindblown" by detail in third episode

Viewers quickly took to social media

shetland cast together
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
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The third instalment of the BBC’s crime series Shetland aired on Wednesday night and viewers are saying that they are "mindblown" by one particular detail in the episode.

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Wednesday night’s episode saw DI Jimmy Perez, played by Douglas Henshall, find his father, played by Benny Young, eating cake that he had taken from a cake fridge placed on the side of a road. In the scene, Jimmy’s father asks the DI, "Do you want a cake? It’s free," to which Jimmy replies: "No you still have to pay for them, it’s like an honesty box, remember?"

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Viewers were astounded at this Shetland tradition in which locals leave fresh eggs, home-grown produce or home-bakes in a wooden box or fridge and expect people to take an item and leave some cash behind.

Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "Big takeaway from last night’s episode of #Shetland: they have a cake fridge," while another added: "#MindBlown watched the tv series #Shetland - there are actually cake fridges open 24/7!!!"

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Fans of the show seemed to approve of the Shetland honesty boxes and called for more of them to be dotted around the UK. One person tweeted: "I had never seen a cake fridge before! #Shetland so they're a real thing? I love it, there should be more of them," while another added: "#Shetland last night, the highlight for me #cakefridge this is an amazing idea and one I’d like to see implemented everywhere."

shetland cake fridge© Photo: BBC

Viewers were astounded by the cake box in Shetland

Viewers also said that they would visit the Scottish island just to experience one of the cake boxes. One person wrote: "When I saw the cake fridge on #Shetland it immediately made me bump the islands up my list of places to visit! Many other reasons of course but this may have clinched it," while another added: "When I was in Shetland there were no cake fridges. I’ll just add it to the reasons I want to come back!"

For those who have yet to watch the detective drama, the series follows DI Jimmy Perez, a native Shetlander, as he investigates crimes on the island.

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