Strathblair


Strathblair is a period TV drama, which aired on BBC Television from 1992 to 1993.

Premise

Set in the 1950s in the aftermath of World War II, newlywed couple Alec and Jennifer Ritchie
set up home on a dilapidated farm in the remote Scottish countryside in Perthshire. Life is not easy for these newcomers and their hostile neighbours are
keen to see them fail.

Cast

  • Derek Riddell as Alec Ritchie
  • Francesca Hunt as Jenny Ritchie
  • David Robb as Andrew Menzies
  • Ian Carmichael as Sir James Menzies
  • Andrew Keir as Macrae of Balbuie
  • Alison Peebles as Pheemie Robertson
  • Kika Mirylees as Flora McInnes
  • Urbano Barberini as Umberto Fabiani
  • Neil McKinven as Robert Sinclair
  • Nicholas McArdle as Forbes
David Tennant had a brief appearance in Series 1 episode 'Family Affairs' as Archie the hiker, in what would be one of his earliest of many television roles. Episode director David Blair was so impressed by Tennant's performance that it led to him being awarded his first major TV role as the manic depressive Campbell in the BBC Scotland drama series Takin' Over the Asylum.

Production

Strathblair was filmed mainly in and around Blair Atholl, a village in Perthshire, Scotland.
During filming of the first series, members of the cast and crew were attacked by a local man who drove through the middle of the set and threw a spanner at a female producer, which resulted in the perpetrator being given an official police warning.
To coincide with the lambing season, filming for the second series commenced in March 1992, two months before the first series aired on BBC1.

Reception

The first series was not well received by critics and experienced low ratings for a Sunday night prime time show, and despite bringing in a new writing team it was cancelled after the second series.

Merchandise

In 1992 Corgi Toys released a die cast two model set, consisting of a Strathblair Bedford OB Coach and a Morris J-type Van - Item model number 97765. The wording on the box read "STRATHBLAIR™ From the BBC television series created by Bill Craig".

Series 1