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| THE SERIES | |
| Monarch of the Glen, BBC Scotland's wonderfully entertaining drama series on BBC ONE, is bound to resonate with viewers. Written by Michael Chaplin and inspired by the Highland novels of Compton Mackenzie, this marvellously shot, hugely enjoyable new drama centres on unwilling laird Archie MacDonald (Alastair Mackenzie). | 
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Barbara McKissack, Head of Drama at BBC Scotland and executive producer on Monarch of the Glen, is delighted with the inviting ambience of the series. "One of the crucial things about this type of drama is that you're welcomed into a world you want to spend time in. Viewers have to think 'it would be fun to live there. I'd like to be part of that extended family'. I hope people will think that about Monarch of the Glen". |
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"There is a charming innocence to it," says Michael Chaplin. "Viewers will like to visit Glenbogle because it's a place where bad things don't happen. It's a magical place that many will see as paradise. That's not to say that the drama is simplistic. Monarch of the Glen is peopled with rich, three-dimensional characters whom you are intrigued to know more about." |
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What is particularly pleasing about Monarch of the Glen is the fact that it is laced with warm-hearted humour. "Michael has given Mackenzie's books a contemporary resonance by bringing Archie, a sophisticated New Labour man, out of London and plonking him down in a totally alien feudal system," says Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films, who is executive producer and was previously responsible for BBC Scotland's award winning film, Mrs Brown. "It's a classic fish-out-of-water set-up. There's lots of humour to be derived from unexpectedly placing someone in the middle of an odd situation. In addition, the series scores in addressing many themes close to all our hearts. it is, for example, a very strong portrait of a warring, yet ultimately close family." |
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The landscape in the series is stunning and is a significant part of its overwhelming charm. It was shot on the same estate where Mrs Brown was filmed. We see the effect of the landscape through Archie's eyes. "It has a great impact on Archie which we can all identify with," McKissack says. "He's come up from London where he thinks he's having a fantastic time. Then suddenly his eyes are opened to the compelling attractions of the Highlands. "The landscape is like another character," she carries on. "Its very grandeur tells viewers what's at stake for Archie. It's so mesmerisingly beautiful, it just gets to you, it's like a balm. Nobody would want to leave that setting. The vastness of the landscape makes you keenly aware of how small you are and of how tiny your day-to-day worries are by comparison. That's a good thing for us all to think about." |
| Finally, Rae concludes that Monarch of the Glen will work because, in an age dominated by 'precinct' dramas stuffed with cops and docs, it is strikingly origianl. It also offers the perfect balance of light and shade. "There's nothing like this on television. It is ideal popular drama, but it can't just be dismissed as Highland whimsy. It has edge. it is entertaining and poignant at the same time. If it can make you laugh and cry at the same time, you've got a great project." Which Monarch of the Glen undoubtedly is. |
