Monarch of the Glen

BBC allowed a gem of a runner onto the paddock when it greenlighted Monarch of the Glen.

Very well directed and shot, showcasing some beautiful Scots highland homes and exterior locations, and assembling lively journeymen actors into an ensemble that has a jolly go at jock-ing around the lochs and polished stair landings of the shire of "Glenbogle," I describe the series in elevators as 'Newhart meets Braveheart.'

Of special enjoyment is the patriarchal character Hector played by Richard Briers. Briers has done just about everything in British theater, television, and cinema there is to do, but in America he is probably known only for his role as the pathetic Bardolph in Ken Branagh's Henry V. Now in MotG, the tables turn and Brier gets the fun of playing a lord. And a curmudgeonly, salty, and daft lord he is.

This is a light family comedic drama with cool domestic characters which doesn't fall into tired tropes. Quiet possibly the perfect show to watch on Sunday evenings.

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!

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.

Perhaps the required caveat for this program, for those who need it, is that it is not action, special effects, or, for the most part, reality-based. (Of course "reality" and "accuracy" are not the point of most television and cinema, so this isn't really saying much.)

That in mind, Monarch of the Glen has an original premise, lightly portraying the transition of a once aristocratic, landed-gentry family into modern times, replete with the struggle to keep a majestic, ancient and beautiful castle afloat and functioning in a modern, capitalist world.

The series opens with the intersecting of two generations--the current "laird" of the castle, patriarch Hector MacDonald, and his wife, Molly, who both embody the last generation to have enjoyed a life of noble leisure and privilege, and their son and laird-to-be, Archie. While technically also privileged, the young Archie will have to rely on imagination, skill and a lot of sweat equity to sustain what is essentially now a white elephant: the sprawling and extraordinarily picturesque estate of Glenbogle, whose far-reaching land still supports various tenants with lives and minds of their own.

As the series' seasons pass, the plot thickens, some characters go and some remain, and Glenbogle inches gracefully into the 21st Century, even as as the castle remains a bit frayed around the edges.

(The sixth season recently ended, with the seventh commencing sometime in Fall 2005.)

While this British "we must save the farm" angle is the background narrative, Monarch of the Glen's primary investment is in exploring the personal exploits of its charming and idiosyncratic characters: the MacDonald family and their various estate "employees" and caretakers, who are essentially extended family. Romance, intrigue, interpersonal conflict, self-revelation, and the bonds of family and friends are the essence of the show, played out in that inimitably understated, witty and appealing BBC way (which can be particularly alluring for viewers a little shell-shocked by regular, American TV).

I find the able cast mostly quite believable in their respective parts, not to mention appealing and likable--particularly the roles of Archie, Lexie, Golly, Molly and Paul. An hour in their company is like a wonderful, genteel (but far from stuffy), little reverie, which keeps you wondering what's up for them next.

For romantics and Brit-o-philes.

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!