Hamish Macbeth is a comedy-mystery-drama series made by BBC Scotland and first aired in 1995. It is loosely based on a series of mystery novels by M. C. Beaton. The series concerns a local police officer, Constable Hamish Macbeth, in the fictitious town of Lochdubh on the west coast of Scotland. The title 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. The series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom and the United States in 2005 and 2006 respectively, 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.
Synopsis
Hamish Macbeth, a police constable in the Northern Constabulary, accompanied by his dog, a West Highland Terrier named Wee Jock, keeps the peace in the small town of Lochdubh. 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 and the aristocratic author Alexandra Maclean. Other themes include the clairvoyance of Hamish's friend and co-worker "TV John", John McIver, the not-so-secret romance between the school-teacher Esme Murray and the shopkeeper Rory Campbell, the volatile marriage of the publican Barney Meldrum and his wife Agnes, the schemes of the two Lachie MacCraes, father and son, the laid-back, pipe smokingDoc Brown, and Major Peregrine Maclean, father of Alexandra and aristocratic penniless widower. The series was accompanied 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. A map of the Lochdubh area shown in the episode "In Search of a Rose" places Lochdubh close to Toscaig, just to the north of Kyle of Lochalsh, with Lochdubh Island being part of the Crowlin Islands. The series was directed mainly by Nicholas Renton, with Mandie Fletcher directing four episodes and Jonas Grimas directing two episodes in 1997.
Cast
Robert Carlyle as PC Hamish Macbeth; 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.
Ralph Riach as John James McIver, AKA "TV John"; Hamish's friend and confidant who got his nickname because he was the first man in Lochdubh to have a television set. He manned the station when Hamish was away and was gifted with the sight.
Shirley Henderson as Isobel Sutherland; A reporter on The Lochdubh Listener who is in love with Hamish. Hamish later realises his love for her, but their relationship remains largely unrequited. She temporarily left Lochdubh for a job in Glasgow, but later returns and starts a relationship with Hamish.
Valerie Gogan as Alexandra "Alex" Maclean ; Major Maclean's daughter, a novelist who has an on/off relationship with Hamish. She breaks up with Hamish after discovering that he no longer has feelings for her, and is actually in love with Isobel. She then attempts to leave Lochdubh, but falls down a muddy cliff and dies.
Barbara Rafferty as Agnes Meldrum; a landlady who runs the local pub with her husband, Barney. It is later revealed that when she was 16, she had a son named Gavin, whom she gave up for adoption. He later reunites with her.
Stuart McGugan as Bernard Keir Hardy "Barney" Meldrum; the local publican, an "incomer" from Glasgow.
Anne Lacey as Esme Murray; The local teacher and owner of the boarding house.
