Hamish Macbeth
Hamish Macbeth

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Hamish Macbeth

Gorgeous landscapes, quirky characters, surreal storylines and a will-they, won't-they romance. All these ingredients help make Hamish Macbeth a timeless piece of telly escapism - and the presence of Robert Carlyle is just the icing on the cake.

Inspired by the Hamish Macbeth novels of writer MC Beaton, the series stars Robert Carlyle as the eponymous copper - the most laid-back lawman of the Highlands. His beat is the village of Lochdubh, where there is such an absence of serious crime that Hamish's biggest fear is being promoted to a job with more responsibility.

Surrounded by the quirkiest locals this side of Ballykissangel, Hamish solves eccentric crimes (such as the mysterious theft of table salt from the general store), battles curious villains (like the cult leader who accuses Hamish of being the Devil Incarnate) and tries to sort out his love life. Which is easier said than done, given that he's hopelessly in love with Alex Maclean, the aristocratic writer who doesn't live in the village anymore. Now if only Hamish would get over her and wake up to the fact that local journalist Isobel Sutherland is crazy about him...

Robert Carlyle as Hamish Macbeth

Robert Carlyle as Hamish Macbeth

Until he was 21, Robert Carlyle was a painter and decorator like his father before him. Then, more or less on a whim, he read Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible, and abruptly realised he wanted to be an actor. He started his career in the time-honoured way of almost all British stars – by taking small roles in shows like The Bill and Taggart. Then came Cracker – in which Carlyle even managed to upstage Robbie Coltrane as a shaven-headed, Christopher Eccleston-killing nutcase. It made his name, and he's since become one of Blighty's biggest stars thanks to Trainspotting, The Full Monty and The World is Not Enough.
Shirley Henderson as Isobel Sutherland

Shirley Henderson as Isobel Sutherland

Butlins may not be the most glamorous place to start one's acting career, but it did the job for Shirley Henderson. Raised in a remote Scottish village, she didn't let the relative isolation get in her way – performing in a local drama club, she went onto win a talent competition at Butlins and soon started landing high profile roles. She had a small part in Trainspotting, and has since been in a whole host of major movies, from Bridget Jones to A Cock and Bull Story.
Valerie Gogan as Alex Maclean

Valerie Gogan as Alex Maclean

Viewers of a certain age will remember Dramarama, the influential series of one-off dramas aimed at kids in the mid-80s. The dramas launched many a career, including Valerie Gogan's. The decade also saw the Glasgow-born actor turn up alongside John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer in the deliciously wicked blockbuster Dangerous Liaisons. She's since worked on everything from Waking the Dead to Holby City, and specifically chose to star in Hamish Macbeth because it gave her the chance to work with fellow Glaswegian Robert Carlyle.
Ralph Riach as TV John McIver

Ralph Riach as TV John McIver

The phrase "better late than never" probably has a special resonance for Ralph Riach. He was 45 years old when he finally began his acting career, having long fantasised about it while working as an upholsterer. He enrolled at drama college (where he was by far the oldest in his class) and soon found himself working alongside Laurence Olivier in a TV drama. The roles have come thick and fast ever since – he was recently seen on the big screen in the acclaimed Ed Harris movie Copying Beethoven.
 

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