‘Monarch of the Glen’ is heading back to screens, with 5 teaming up with PBS MASTERPIECE for a new reimagining of the classic British series.
The new six-part series comes from Ecosse Films, the company behind the original show, and will return viewers to the Scottish Highlands for a fresh family saga packed with love, legacy, humour and survival. Production is due to take place in Scotland and Northern Ireland later this year.
While the original BBC series followed Archie MacDonald trying to restore his childhood home, this new version shifts focus to Isla Campbell, a high-flying London lawyer who returns to her family’s crumbling Highland estate for her estranged father’s funeral. What should have been a short visit quickly turns into something far more complicated when she learns she has inherited a million-pound debt, a bank closing in, and a brother who refuses to let go of the family home.
Forced back under the same roof for the first time in years, the pair must somehow save the estate before time runs out. So yes, expect Highland scenery, family rows, romance, warmth, and the kind of big-hearted charm that made the original so memorable in the first place.
The series is created and written by Jeremy Brock (A Very Royal Scandal, The Last King of Scotland), alongside writer Stephen Greenhorn (Sunshine on Leith, Dept. Q). Tom Vaughan (Doctor Foster, Victoria) directs and also executive produces. The producers are Alex Boyd (How to Get to Heaven from Belfast), Robert Bernstein (The Trial of Christine Keeler) and Douglas Rae (The Great Escaper), with Rob Darnell and Adam Duncan executive producing for Ecosse Films. Susanne Simpson executive produces for MASTERPIECE.
Susanne Simpson, Head of Scripted Content and Executive Producer of MASTERPIECE, said: “I know the warmth, humour and romance in this new version of ‘Monarch of the Glen’ is just what our American audience looks for in a MASTERPIECE series. I’m so delighted to bring Jeremy Brock’s excellent work and the beauty of the Highlands to U.S. television screens.”
Jeremy Brock added: “When I was offered the chance to re-imagine Monarch of the Glen, I leapt at it. I’m hugely excited by the opportunity to tell a story of family life and finding your place in our hectic world – one that celebrates the warmth, humour and eccentricities of a special community, with both optimism and authenticity. Hope and joy are a currency in short supply right now, and the Highlands – one of the most magical places on Earth – felt like exactly the right home for them.”
The original ‘Monarch of the Glen’ ran on BBC One from 2000 to 2005 and became one of those very specific Sunday night comfort watches Britain used to do extremely well. It starred Alastair Mackenzie, Richard Briers, Susan Hampshire and Dawn Steele. Bringing it back now also feels like a smart fit for 5 and PBS MASTERPIECE, especially given how well that partnership has already worked with ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, and with ‘The Forsytes’ showing there is still plenty of appetite for fresh takes on classic British drama. There is nostalgia in the title, but the setup suggests this is aiming to be more of a fresh reinvention than a simple remake.
No cast has been announced yet, but with 5 and MASTERPIECE backing it, plus Ecosse returning to the property, this looks like a fairly serious attempt to revive one of British television’s best-loved Highland dramas.
‘Monarch of the Glen’ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on 5 in the UK and PBS Masterpiece in the USA. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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