Legendary BBC drama Monarch of the Glen is set to be rebooted after twenty years off the air on another channel, but fans will be in for a surprise after a new lead was announced
One of the BBC’s most beloved dramas of the 2000s is set to make a comeback − but with a twist.
Monarch of the Glen has been confirmed to be returning to our screens after nearly 20 years away. However, the Sun has reported that the new show will feature a female lead character.
The show is now set to air on Channel 5 after the rights were bought by the channel for a new imagining of the series. The show last aired back in 2005 on the BBC.
The drama first aired on the BBC back in 2000, where it captivated audiences with the drama surrounding the sleepy Scottish town. Previously, the lead character had been Archie McDonald, played by Alastair McKenzie.
Channel 5 have yet to give any details on who is set to star in the new revived version of the show. However, insiders close to the channel have claimed to the Sun that the cast will be entirely new, with no returning characters.
The first few series of the show centred around Archie as he desperately tries to rebuild his home in the Scottish countryside. But in the final two series of the show, the view changed entirely, with new character Laid Paul Bowman, played by Lloyd Owen, trying to bring his estate into the 21st century.
But in its new iteration, Monarch of the Glen will see a female character known as Isla Campbell return to her estranged father’s crumbling estate in the Scottish Highlands. There, the London-based lawyer is set to turn things around despite only planning on being there for just a couple of days.
Instead, Isla discovers she is set to inherit a debt of £1million, plunging her into a crisis that she did not see coming. She is also beset with other problems, including a bank demanding its money back and her long-lost brother who is not willing to give the estate up at all.
With nothing left to do and both under the same roof for the first time in years, Isla and her brother are left with the unenviable task of raising the debt. They also try to save the beloved estate before the bank eventually decides to call time and take the house from them.
In total, six episodes will be produced for the new series by the original company behind the show, Ecosse Films. Writer Jeremy Brock is behind the reboot and said he was thrilled when it was greenlit.
“When I was offered the chance to re-imagine Monarch of the Glen, I leapt at it,” he wrote. “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.”
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