Top Telly - Monarch of the Glen series

Monarch of the Glen was produced by Ecosse Films for BBC Scotland and was first broadcast on BBC1. I can still be seen on cable and satellite channels.

The series was created by Michael Chaplin and produced by Nick Pitt, Paddy Higson, Jeremy Gwilt, Stephen Garwood and Rob Bullock. The series had many directors and writers.

It was broadcast between 2000 and 2005 and ran to seven series and sixty-four episodes.

The series is loosely based on Compton Mackenzie’s Highland Novels and the first of his books is called Monarch of the Glen. This is turn was the title of a famous oil-on-canvas painting of a stag by Sir Edwin Landseer.

The first five series followed the story of young restauranteer Archie MacDonald (Alastair Mackenzie) trying to restore his childhood home in the Scottish Highlands. The programme also starred Richard Briars as Hector MacDonald, Susan Hampshire as Molly MacDonald and Dawn Steel as Lexie McTavish.

The final two series featured the new Laird Paul Bowman (Lloyd Owen) trying to modernise the estate. These starred Tom Baker as Donald, Susan Hampshire and Alexander Morton as Golly Mackenzie.

The series was filmed in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of the Highlands.

The programmes has been shown around the world and was particularly popular in Australia.

Monarch of the Glen starring Richard Briars & Susan Hampshire

Tales of Archie MacDonald, Hector MacDonald and Paul Bowman in the Highlands

Starring Richard Briars, Susan Hampshire, Lloyd Owen, Alastair Mackenzie, Dawn Steel and Tom Baker.