The
lowdown: 'Monarch of the Glen' is a BBC Scotland drama that
was broadcast on BBC1 between 22 February
2000 and 23 October 2005.
A total of 64 episodes were made over seven seasons, including the Hogmanay
Special
in 2003. The series tells
the story of the people who live and work at Glenbogle, a huge estate in
the Scottish highlands.
The series began with London
restaurant owner Archie MacDonald (played by Alastair Mackenzie) returning
to Glenbogle
to somewhat reluctantly
become the Laird of Glenbogle. Much of the focus of the early seasons are
on Archie's efforts to
turn around the fortunes
of the estate, which has massive debts, by turning it into a tourist attraction.
Archie eventually
leaves to live in New Zealand,
leaving Glenbogle in the hands of his newly-discovered half-brother, Paul
(Lloyd Owen),
who becomes Laird in the
final episode of season six.
Tom Baker joined the cast
in episode two of season six, as Donald Ulyses MacDonald, the younger brother
of Archie's
father, Hector. Donald is
the black sheep of the McDonald clan, having been absent from Glenbogle
for 40 years. He
returns in handcuffs and
accompanied by a police escort. His colourful life is revealed, including
a string of driving offences,
and he is placed under the
supervision of Paul, with the threat of prison if he leaves the estate.
Donald spends much of the
episode trying to get away
from Glenbogle, including stealing and crashing a sports car. However,
even the local taxi
drivers have been issued
with a photo of Donald and ordered not to accept a fare from him, so Donald
eventually agrees
to stay at Glenbogle and
make no more attempts to leave.
The
verdict: 'Monarch of the Glen' is an excellent
example of British character-based drama. The men and women
who
live and work at Glenbogle are interesting characters whom the viewer can
emphasise with, and most of the actors
are
very good in their roles. The addition of Tom Baker to the cast for
the final two seasons was inspired, as the roguish
but
loveable Donald adds a new dimension to the show, and Tom is his usual
superb self. He may be a lot older than
his
Doctor Who days, but there is no mistaking his distinctive voice and irresistible
charm. This series is very highly
recommended,
and is now available on DVD for those who have not seen it.
Trivia:
'Monarch of the Glen' is based on the Highland Novels series of
books by Compton Mackenzie.
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