Monarch of the Glen

I watched this when it was first screened in early 2000 and eagerly await the new series starting in January 2001. It was a thoroughly engaging series that was fun to watch.

The Scottish castle and backdrop make a pleasant setting and the characters are delightful. I hope it will continue for more series and the excellent cast will re-appear. The story in a way is incidental. There is a place for this sort of drama which is neither heavy nor shallow. It just makes you feel good - quality for a popular audience.

If you have a good script, a good cast and a committed production team, then drama could always be like this. I wish it was. Who needs soaps when you can have the real thing. More please!

It is great to have a series in which there is minimal violence, no ridiculous language, and virtually no sex--how refreshing for a change!

The scenery has already been noted elsewhere as spectacular, and as one of the stars. While I agree whole-heartedly with this, it is the acting which impresses me. Alastair Mckenzie does a superb job of portraying a suave Londoner who is suddenly thrust into a job he neither wants nor knows how to manage. However, (and you can see this most clearly when viewing the whole series, one episode after another) Mckenzie manages to convey that here is a man who grows from being a "fish-out-of-water" to being the LAIRD of Glenbogle. Mr. Mackenzie does it almost imperceptibly by degrees. Great work!

The rest of the original cast is equally strong. It is indeed too bad that most of the principal characters left over the seasons.

An absolutely "must see" program. Warm, funny, and romantic, this is a show that renews one's faith in the human condition. You soon care about the characters and want them succeed personally and professionally. With all the gratuitous violence and sex rampant throughout television today it's encouraging to see a program the whole family can enjoy.

I am now home all day with my toddler and I told myself I would never descend to watching soap operas. However, I became totally hooked on this show when BBC America began running it at 5:00 pm. It has romance, hunks to look at (as well as gorgeous natural scenery) and also melodrama...but it is certainly many cuts above a "soap". The quirky characters are so much fun to watch. This show has some of the feel of Northern Exposure...but, as an Anglophile, I feel it is even more appealing.

I really came to look forward to unwinding with this show near the end of each busy afternoon. More please!

Monarch of the Glen is a quiet kind of comedy, with a good helping of drama, a bit of sly, smirky humor and a pinch of sentimentality. It doesn't seem to be widely accepted, probably because there is no sex or violence. Sheesh, I can't even remember hearing a four letter word. The characters are real, they are funny and the show is engaging. One of the nice things about this show is that everyone gets a chance to shine - not just the young attractive leads. Golly, middle-aged and gray, is actually portrayed as cool! (Gasp!) Molly, the mother, is viewed as attractive - she has a life beyond being the mother. Even the "servant types" have their bits. It's not rock solid, Monarch does get a little "soap opera-y" every now and then, what with a missing daughter or brother turning up, but it's a far better thing to watch than most of the rubbish on the tube today.