User reviews

I bought the full series on dvd and wasn't too keen on the first episode. However, the series has grown on me and each episode is quite unique - some episodes are zany and quite brilliant. The scenery is wonderful, there are some superb cameo roles and some small touches are very very funny.

I worked in the Highlands as a cop. Beautiful area, crazy people :). Although this is a TV show, it reminds me of some of the must things that happened. Haven't read the book so I can't comment but this is pretty much what it's like being posted to a single-manned station in the middle of nowhere.

Haven't read the books but like this series for all the reasons others gave, just started watching. From what I've seen & heard most people are disappointed if they see film versions after reading the book.

For the reviewer who had a question about the oxen, they are Scottish Highlands breed.

The main "star" of this series is the people who live in the town. They are all so much fun, and decent. We just end up wanting to live there.

The Constable, Hamish Macbeth, is sort of like Andy Griffith. The show doesn't revolve around him even though ostensibly he is the main character.

The writing is superb. Understated, wise, and funny. Macbeth maintains "law and order" in a wise, but unusual fashion. He doesn't sweat the small stuff.

Apparently the series does not follow the books very well, but we can't think of a reason why that should matter. Maybe the books were great.

But the series is nothing short of delightful.

This show is a really amazing performance by all actors and with a reassuring plot for each episode the scenery is simply fantastic I was saddened when I realised there was only 20 episodes. But they did well in all of them.

It's a bit weird. And it's a lot Scottish. And it's a bit all over the place. Disembodied spirits. Crimes. Not crimes. Drama. And lil of the old slap and tickle. I can't believe it took us 26 years after the fact to discover this BBC Scotland gem! It's touching, it's funny at times, it's cute. It's inspiring. It's a who dunit. But mostly it's just Scottish. Really really Scottish. So glad we found this. I will DEFINITELY be buying the DVD's. I'd put this right up there with the best American televised cop shows. It's Jim Rockford meets Barney Miller. With westies! Give it a chance. You won't regret it.

I wholeheartedly recommend this series of the small town constable Hamish MacBeth. It does remind me a lot of Northern Exposure, but without the constant whining of Rob Morrow as Dr. Joel Fleishman. This series is so well written that it always makes you feel like you're a member of the village of Lochdubh. The scenery is gorgeous, the background music is perfect and the story lines are actually pretty simple with the focus on the people and their day to day lives. It is so refreshing to view a series that does not depend on outrageous situations to get by like ABC's Desperate Housewives....the Brits are light years ahead of anything that Hollywood can put out...and have been for decades. Both of my daughters ( ages 20 and 24) LOVE this series. I am sad they only made 3 seasons worth, but, each and every episode is first rate quality....even if I can't understand a lot of their dialog...their Scottish accent is accurate and hasn't been dumbed down for us Americans. A true first rate series that I will recommend to anyone.

The village, scenery and people are just so likeable. You want to be part of their community. I love the simple stories, the humour and the taste of the Scottish Highlands in each episode... I also love the Westie, Wee Jock.

It's filmed where the imaginary town of Lochdubh is located, there's a town policeman called Hamish Macbeth, and that's all that's similar to the book series. Robert Carlyle (plays Hamish) is a short blond man; our book Hamish is a tall redhead. None of the other characters bear even a passing resemblance to our favorites in the book - not even the dog's name! What's the point - beyond trading on a popular author and her popular characters. That aside - if you haven't read the books, you'll enjoy the series because it's entertaining and the scenery authentic. If you've read the books, you'll be disappointed.

As someone already noted, this show has some similarities with my all time favorite TV-show, Northern Exposure. At first I thought that it was going to be just another British cop-drama, such as Wycliffe or Heartbeat, but soon I realized that it was so much more.

The people of Lochdubh are a tight group with eccentric personalities, (just like in NE) and they take the extraordinary and peculiar incidents as an everyday life. The main character, is of course the local police officer, Hamish McBeth, but the rest of the cast aren't out shined by him. Hamish tries not to draw too much attention to himself as the local law enforcer so he won't be promoted and forced to leave the town he loves. This is the reason for the low arrest rates in Lochdubh. Usually the town it self acts as the judge, the jury and in very rare cases as the executioner.

It is very difficult to decide in to which category put the series. Drama, comedy, fantasy...? It has all of those qualities and more. They are showing the shows re-runs here in Finland and when it ends once more, I'll be missing the people of Lochdubh.

I agree with other reviewers that this is a charming programme showing the absolutely beautiful scenery found in Scotland. It stands on it's own as a TV show "based" on the characters from MC Beaton's novels. Hamish Macbeth is played beautifully and Shirley Henderson also stands out as the great actors they have both since proved to be, in numerous films and on TV.

However, I think if you have read and enjoyed the books, this programme is a bit of a mystery as it has a whole host of totally different characters. I'm unsure why when the ones in the books carried the novels along just fine in both the plot for each individual book and back stories running in the background.

I'm not surprised they couldn't run with a murder each week as there would quite literally be no- one left to murder and if it's always the "incomer", then half the guessing is a bit too easy. But I wish there was a little more of the humour and village stories kept on the TV show.

I first watched these DVD's on loan from our local library. After checking them out a couple of times, I finally bought the series. I don't usually buy DVD's as I don't re-watch them, but this was worth the purchase. I always pick up something new and by owning them I get to share them with friends. All the characters ring true and develop as the series continues. Often topical subjects theme the episodes, but other times they just reflect small town life in Scotland.

Hardly playing second fiddle is Hamish's dog - a Westie with a huge personality. There is enough drama, comedy, and romance to be entertaining without any hints of overacting or playing to the camera. As an aside, if you are a reader of the MC Beaton books about Hamish Macbeth, you will not recognize the character. He is almost the exact opposite of his character in the books and yet, I think I like the video version better.

I've been reading the Hamish Macbeth books. There is not even an inkling of similarity. I do like the actors. Robert Carlyle is amongst the best. I've seen him in several movies. But in no way does he resemble Hamish Macbeth. Call him Steve Jones instead. He has none of the personality traits from the books either. In fact change the name of the village also. But, let me say this, I enjoy the series in it's own right. It would have been just as successful (if not more), without the use of Hamish Macbeth. A series based on the books about Hamish Macbeth would be popular as well, provided the characters were true to the books. It would be a completely different series. So for now, I'll call this one Steve Jones Scot Cop.

I listened to the books on CD before seeing this series. If you also have read/listened to the books then don't expect to find any similarities in this show. "Hamish Macbeth", "Lochdubh", and his police land-rover are about the only similarities to the actual book. People who have not read the books first may enjoy this series but I don't know why they needed to redo everything just for TV. I really looked forward to seeing Priscilla, Elspeth, Dr. and Angela Brodie, Angus the Seer, and all of the other wacky and lovable characters from the books. The most obviously missing are Superintendent Daviot, Jimmy, and the infamous DCI Blair!! I think this series would have done brilliantly in a sort of "midsomer murders" style and keeping the original characters and plot lines.

Neither is James Bond these days.

And for those who find the plots far-fetched, I can assure them they're not. I grew up in the 1960s in a village just a short way up the coast from Plockton where the series were filmed, and stuff like this really did happen. One of the reasons I enjoy the series so much is that I can put a real name to every one of the major characters - they are so true to my first-hand experience.

A gold medal series, for sure, and Carlyle certainly captured the essence of the highland bobby who walked a fine line between upholding the Law and being an accepted member of the community - an accomplishment my own father was unable to achieve, I've been told!

I came across this show by chance while recovering from a major back operation, and got engrossed in it very quickly. Whether it was like the books or not makes little difference to me, all that mattered to me was that Hamish Macbeth was a quirky and interesting show, and it was.

The story lines are simple but always paced very well and engaging, the characters are easy to relate to and the writing is consistently excellent being intelligent and quirky. The acting is also top-drawer, Robert Carlyle is perfect as Hamish having a perfect balance of being somewhat adorable and intense but always likable.

What made Hamish Macbeth so watchable though was the gorgeous scenery and how well the photography did to give this wonderful scenery justice, and also the atmospheric, beautiful and haunting background music.

Overall, a great show and very easy to get into if given a chance. 10/10 Bethany Cix

Does anyone know what kind of oxen is shown in the opening credits? I searched the Internet and couldn't find the answer.

In my country, Israel, there are few people who remember Haimish Macbeth series, which was on TV in about 1997. I admit I fell in love with him. I wish our channels will buy the series again, not just because of its great actor, but because of the story of the simple ones, like me. The simple people who strangle in life, each one has his own, their relationships, habits, friends, moral, love and work. Even in the Internet era, in the virtual relationships and friends in which the detached and cold atmosphere rules, we are all human beings eventually, who handle with beauty or charm, talent or life wisdom, effort and concentration, calm and smiles or all these above - our life, as Haimish. I thank you a lot for enlightening my eyes, because I didn't remember the are books this series is based on. I'll purchase and read. Thank You !

If you separate this series from your expectations from the charming series of books, you may still enjoy the TV shows. Not very mysterious and not connected except by name to what MC Beaton has achieved. It is great to see Robert Carlyle, as always, and Shirley Henderson, who plays the neurotic friend of Bridget Jones, is quite appealing here as Isobel. And the scenery is stunning. Still, I must agree with the opinion of another writer on this site that it IS a bit of washed out imitation of MONARCH. Still superior to most of what shows up on American telly, though, and worth it for the locales and the quirky villagers.

I have just started watching this show because it is offered on satelite here in Japan. I love it, and enjoy the small-town characters and situations. I am of Scotish ancestry and enjoy seeing something of the countryside and Scotish people. Also, the acting is great and the characters are fun. Hamish MacBeth is played by the very talented Robert Carlyle. Hamish is the small-town police officer who is inter-twined with the town. He is part of the town yet has to be the law as well, which puts him into situations on occasion. The townfolk are great and well played. I wish that the show had more seasons than it did, but I am glad to have what I can get! If you are a fan of Scotland or small towns and mysteries, then you'll enjoy this one!

This program reminds me a great deal of "Northern Exposure", a compliment since N. E. was a particular favourite of mine. How could you not like a small community where the natives sit around the local pub reading philosophy and arguing the relative merits of existentialism vs. scientific determinism, or where the local constable poaches salmon and the doctor smokes questionable substances in his pipe. Too bad Robert Carlyle is becoming such a celebrity. I suspect we've seen the last new episodes of this charming show.