dual personalities

It was an up and down sort of week, or, to be accurate, a down and up sort of week, since it started out badly and improved as it went. I won’t dwell on the bad stuff, which was mostly work-related and therefore boring. Suffice it to say that by mid-week I was searching diligently for something light and fun to watch and/or read. And, oh my, how the good Lord delivered! Son #1 and I discovered the 1990s British TV show, Hamish Macbeth, starring a young Robert Carlyle, his adorable dog, and a host of other familiar faces.

Set in the remote Scottish Highlands, the show revolves around the village constable, Hamish Macbeth, as he struggles to keep the peace among an eccentric but endearing cast of local characters. Hamish loves his life in Lochdubh (who wouldn’t?), and is willing to do almost anything to avoid drawing the attention of his superiors in Inverness, lest they promote him and he has to move away. Rather than following the letter of the law, he often finds himself mediating between injured parties or achieving justice after a convoluted series of events magically comes together. And did I mention the beautiful scenery?

Hamish Macbeth is laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has plenty of serious moments and real conflict. The vibe is rather like a mix of Local Hero, The Englishman Who Went up a Hill and Came down a Mountain, and Shetland, with the emphasis on the first two. The one thing you can be sure of is that everything will turn out okay in the end. At least that’s my impression so far. I’ve only seen four episodes, and the show ran for three seasons. Here’s a bit of dialogue that captures the flavor:

TVJohn: “So it’s crows nailed to doors and threatening letters now, eh?”
Hamish: “And how do you know about that?”
TVJohn: “Isobel told me about the letter.”
Hamish: “I’m just after telling Isobel!”
TVJohn: “She knew already. Rory told her. And the postman told him. And Esme told Agnes about the crow on account of her niece, Kirsty, hearing Vicky tell Cameron at the barn.”
Hamish: “Ohhhhhonestly this place! Unbelievable!”
TVJohn: “I know, I know. You can’t clean your ferret’s cage out here without it being on CNN.”

Ah, village life. I can relate. You can watch Hamish Macbeth on Amazon if you get their Acorn channel. It’s also available on DVD. The TV show is inspired by a series of murder mysteries by M.C. Beaton. I’m reading the first one, Death of a Gossip, now. It’s enjoyable, but pretty average, and although it has its moments, it does not achieve the same tone as the show. My chief complaint is that Constable Macbeth doesn’t appear in the book often enough. Knowing that sometimes it takes an author a few books to establish her characters,  I’ll probably read more before I decide on the series’ merits.

Have a great weekend and “dinna fash yourselves”!

*”Listen here now. The big boys from Inverness are coming. Hamish says no takin’ the piss and no dumb country-yokel arts, right?” from episode 1, “the Great Lochdubh Salt Robbery”.