Hamish Macbeth (TV series)

Hamish Macbeth
Hamish Macbeth title screencap
Starring	Robert Carlyle Shirley Henderson
Country of origin	Scotland
Language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	20
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Scotland
Original run	26 March 1995 – 4 May 1997

Hamish Macbeth is a television series made by BBC Scotland and first aired in 1995. It is loosely based on a series of mystery novels by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). The series concerns a local police officer, Constable Hamish Macbeth in the fictitious town of Lochdubh on the north coast of Scotland. The titular character was played by Robert Carlyle. It ran for three series from 1995 to 1997, with the first two series having six episodes and the third having eight.

Plot

Macbeth, accompanied by his dog, a West Highland Terrier named Wee Jock, keeps the peace in the small town of Lochdubh (pronounced with the guttural 'ch' sound, LoCH-DOO). MacBeth does this in his own way, without undue reliance on the letter of the law and with every intention of avoiding being promoted out of what is his ideal job. He strongly dislikes involvement from Inverness police, and sometimes his main work doesn't seem to be the capture of local very petty criminals, but to keep them away from prison and penalties.

The major running theme of the series is the tension caused by Hamish's attraction to both the journalist of the local newspaper, Isobel Sutherland (Shirley Henderson) and the aristocratic Alexandra Maclean (Valerie Gogan). Other themes include the clairvoyance of Hamish's friend and co-worker "TV John", John McIver (Ralph Riach), the not-so-secret romance between the school-teacher Esme Murray and the shopkeeper Rory Campbell, the volatile marriage of the publican Barney Meldon and his wife Agnes, and the schemes of the two Lachie MacCraes, father and son.

The series had a slightly surreal quality to it, drawing on the superstitious natures of some of the characters and the somewhat eerie beauty of the remote and misty location, and enhanced by the Gaelic music of John Lunn.

Production

The series was filmed on location in the village of Plockton, the town of Kyle of Lochalsh and the surrounding area. It was directed mainly by Nicholas Renton, with Mandie Fletcher directing four episodes and Jonas Grimas directing two episodes in 1997.

DVD

The series were released on DVD in the UK and the US in 2005 and 2006 with the exception of the first series episode West Coast Story. This was due to rights issues surrounding the episode's extensive use of excerpts from West Side Story. The third and final series was released in April 2006.

Cast

Principal characters

With occasional exceptions, these key characters appear in every episode.

Character	Actor	Description
Hamish Macbeth	Robert Carlyle	A policeman in the village of Lochdubh, laid-back in dealing with the inhabitants' quirky ways. He works to avoid promotion or transfer, and is clearly more interested in keeping the peace than enforcing the letter of the law.
Wee Jock	Zippy	Hamish's dog. Dies in episode 1.5 and is replaced by another dog named simply "Jock".
John McIver ("TV John")	Ralph Riach	Hamish's friend and confidant. He mans the station when Hamish is away and is gifted with the sight. He also fills out Macbeth's paperwork, impressive given that in the early days of the series he cannot read or write. He has a younger brother named Kenneth who suffers from terrible luck. TV John is guardian of a major secret of Lochdubh. In series 3 he has an ongoing subplot of predicting his own death, claiming that he will smell pomade as he dies.
Isobel Sutherland	Shirley Henderson	A reporter on The Lochdubh Listener who is in love with Hamish.
Alexandra Maclean	Valerie Gogan	Major Maclean's daughter, a novelist who has an on/off relationship with Hamish.
Agnes Meldrum	Barbara Rafferty	Runs the local pub with her husband, Barney.
Barney Meldrum	Stuart McGugan	The local publican, an "incomer" from Glasgow.
Esme Murray	Anne Lacey	The local teacher and owner of the boarding house.
Rory Campbell	Brian Pettifer	Owner of the local grocery shop, very close to Esme.
Doc Brown	Duncan Duff	The kilt-wearing, pipe-smoking village doctor.
Lachlan McCrae, Sr.	Jimmy Yuill (Series 1) and Billy Riddoch (Series 2-3)	The local schemer who makes unlicensed sausages.
Lachlan McCrae, Jr. ("Lachie Junior")	Stuart Davids	Son of Lachlan Sr., who starts out in the sausage business and ends up the local undertaker.
Major Roderick Peregrine ("Roddy") Maclean	David Ashton	Local land-owner, former army officer, and member of the landed gentry.

Regular supporting characters

These characters do not form the centre of any storyline, and appear infrequently, although each may be seen in multiple episodes, as a regular part of village background life.

Character	Actor	Description
Malkie Clunie	Jon Croft	The Major's groundsman and gamekeeper.
Edith ("Edie")	Mona Bruce	The Major's housekeeper.
Flora	Dolina MacLennan	The secretary and receptionist at the local newspaper office, and prolific knitter.
Neil the Bus	Iain McColl	Operator of the local omnibus. (Lochdubh also has a small, unstaffed railway station.)
Peter the Fireman	Ronnie Letham	Station Officer at the local fire station. Lochdubh has locally stored fire-fighting equipment, which local men are trained to use until the fire brigade arrive.
Zoot McPherrin	Ron Donachie	Leader of a hippie colony, with various Lochdubh associations.
The Reverend Alan Snow	Laurie Ventry	Local clergyman of undisclosed denomination - context suggests he is Anglican or Presbyterian.

Episodes

Series 1

Ep#	Title	Airdate	Description
1.1	The Great Lochdubh Salt Robbery	26 March 1995	Hamish must investigate the disappearance of the local bully, Geordie Robb.
1.2	A Pillar of the Community	2 April 1995	Hamish must keep the peace when a newcomer tries to teach the villagers about their own "traditional" heritage.
1.3	The Big Freeze	9 April 1995	Hamish investigates Major Maclean's insurance claims.
1.4	West Coast Story	16 April 1995	Hamish sets out to expose the hypocrisy of a bank manager and joins the village production of West Side Story.
1.5	Wee Jock's Lament	23 April 1995	Hamish tracks down two escaped convicts who ran over his dog.
1.6	A Bit of an Epic	30 April 1995	Hamish goes on a mountain trek which leads to a dangerous situation.

Series 2

Ep#	Title	Airdate	Description
2.1	A Perfectly Simple Explanation	24 March 1996	Hamish is branded a devil by a religious group who claim that Lochdubh is the new Gomorrah.
2.2	In Search of a Rose	31 March 1996	Hamish investigates the disappearance of a local seafarer.
2.3	Isobel Pulls It Off	7 April 1996	Hamish becomes jealous when Isobel breaks a big story and finds a new boyfriend.
2.4	Radio Lochdubh	14 April 1996	Hamish is ordered to close down a local pirate radio station, and breaks up with Alex.
2.5	No Man Is an Island	21 April 1996	Hamish takes off to a remote island and meets a woman in trouble.
2.6	The Lochdubh Deluxe	28 April 1996	Hamish has to intervene in a family feud, and there may be aliens in Lochdubh.

Series 3

Ep#	Title	Airdate	Description
3.1	The Honourable Policeman	16 March 1997	Hamish is invited to be the best man at the local laird's wedding, whilst also training a new woman police constable.
3.2	Deferred Sentence	23 March 1997	Hamish investigates a twenty-year old mystery which has divided the island of Laggan-Laggan.
3.3	The Lochdubh Assassin	30 March 1997	Hamish must protect the village from a gang of ruthless villains.
3.4	The Good Thief	6 April 1997	Hamish has to uncover the secret of Frankie's best friend from Glasgow, Tusker Gray.
3.5	The Trouble with Rory	13 April 1997	Hamish investigates a fire at the local primary school.
3.6	More Than a Game	20 April 1997	Hamish suspects that there may be cheating at the annual shinty match against Dunbracken.
3.7	Destiny: Part 1	27 April 1997	Hamish investigates the location of the Stone of Destiny.
3.8	Destiny: Part 2	4 May 1997	Hamish and friends trek across the mountains to rescue TV John.

External links

• Hamish Macbeth at the Internet Movie Database
• Hamish Macbeth at TV.com
• The Wee Hamish Macbeth
• Hamish Macbeth, Gossip from Lochdubh