Ballykissangel The Complete First Season - The Memorable TV DVD Review

One of the best prime time Sunday night comedy dramas of the 1990’s, Hamish Macbeth offered up a first starring role for Robert Carlyle as the eponymous copper living in the sleepy highland village of Lochdubh (pronounced Loch-doo – in real life the village of

Plockton where the superb Wicker Man was also filmed). Often quoted as the UK equivalent of Northern Exposure with its high quotient of eccentric characters such as TV John (who was the first person in the village to own a TV), father and son entrepreneurs Lachlan and Lachie Jr and grocer Rory Campbell who is involved in a hush hush affair that everyone in the village knows about.

Hamish is also involved in something of a love triangle with journalist Isobel Sutherland and the real love of his life Alex MacLaine; With its idyllic settings Hamish was guaranteed to win over the Sunday nigh Heartbeat audience but it has a dark edge that lifts it to something special; There’s a bit of a Western vibe to the whole thing in fact with Hamish positioning himself as the marshall of Lochdubh willing to overlook the minor misdemeanours of the locals but always ready to tackle the outsiders who arrive with trouble on their agenda.

This two disc set from Cinema Club contains five episodes from the first season and Hamish Macbeth definitely gets the Memorable TV seal of approval, quality entertainment that stands up to repeated viewing, in fact the high level of the scripts and cast positively demand it. Very recommended.

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