Hamish MacBeth : Series 1-3 (6 Disc Box Set) [DVD]

This is an extraordinary TV series, not least of which it would never have been "allowed" under normal circumstances. (Chief) writer Daniel Boyle and the producers wanted to aim a Sunday night "detective" show at a dual audience - the older demographic (36+) for the scenery/gentle highland pace, and the "youth" audience (-36) for the "hip" wit, stories, etc. Helped by the fact that the BBC had no Unnessary Director of Pointless Interference & Ruining Good Ideas in post at the time, they managed to pull off Hamish MacBeth and pull off satisfying both desired demographics.The oldies tuned in for the glorious West Highland scenery of Plockton, a tiny village on a lagoon where the microclimate helped palm trees to flourish (thank you, Gulf Stream - the atmospheric phenomonen, not the plane). The youngies tuned in for the cute eye-candy of Doc Brown (actually much better looking and phwooar than Robert Carlyle, who was not bad looking himself) and the eccentric locals like Esme and Rory and the sight of the local bobby (Robert Carlyle) smoking pot with the local doctor (Duncan Duff) and also the edgy plots, for example, Series 1 included a mother murdering her own adult son and dumping the body in a tank of crustaceans which ate the evidence and were in turn eaten by the villagers (!) and also the death of a kwoot ittle dohgee (West Highland terrier) which, worryingly, caused more viewer concern than scenes of a mother murdering her child.Virtually every episode of Series 1 and 2 is a gem, some for the humour/comedy/wit, others for the emotional intensity of the story, and of course the real star of the show was the glorious natural beauty that every shot included without having to try. There is also Duncan Duff, who should have gone on to be a megastar thanks to those glorious velvet eyes, etc. The reason I give it 4-stars is because of Series 3 - amazingly, the show's producers decided to quit on a high after one more series (3) instead of not just flogging a dead horse but stuffing it, putting it on display and charging the paying public to look at it.Because of this everyone in Series 3 is a bit too relaxed, a bit too demob happy; Carlyle is clearly "phoning in" several performances and reversing the charges to boot, even the gorgeous Duncan Duff occasionally appears to have really been smoking the waccy baccy and Ralph Riach, who played TV John, had his pyschic abilities go from the sublime to the ridiculous. That's not to say Series 3 wasn't very good - it was, but Series 1 and 2 were outstanding and if the cast and crew had just kept it tight and focussed for their swansong, the show would have deserved about 6 or 7 stars.NOTE: as several reviewers have pointed out, the TV series bears no resemblance to the books of the creator, MC Beaton, who began the Hamish MacBeth series before her later, more famous, Agatha Raisin murder-mysteries. At the time the showed aired, Mrs Beaton's series was only published in the USA. Recently, I had the chance to meet Mrs Beaton, who was very diplomatic, but also very clear that the reason Agatha R never made it onscreen was because of the HM TV show fallout - being naive in TV-land, the author signed away all creative control of the TV series, and alluded to a claim that Mr Carlyle refused to do the show unless the eponymous HM was allowed to be shown on screen as a dope-befuddled layabout (see Series 1) despite being a police officer, which demand was acceded to, despite the way the show was written already having the character come across as morally weak, two-timing and not that bright. Mrs Beaton expressed that there is tentative hope of Agatha Raisin being televised, but that this time, the books will be rigorously adhered to and the characters will not be on-screen assassinated by those who play them.

Very funny and at times poignant. A stellar cast bring the quirky and off-beat characters to life. One reviewer complains that the stories bear no resemblance to the original Beaton books, but I think the clue lies in the introduction to each episode. “Based on characters created by M C Beaton” and written by Daniel Boyle, Anthony Mingella and others. Worth every penny.

Sorry, Hamish Macbeth is not really my cup of tea.......the series cannot quite make up its mind what it's trying to do, some episodes are quite good, but some are just too dark for me, black humour I guess.Enjoyed Agatha Raisin more, no black humour, thought we would give Hamish a try........

Bought as a gift for a friend, she was very happy with it and seems to keep watching it over and over.

Asked what I wanted as a xmas pressie this year, I picked Hamish MacBeth, the complete series 1-3.I have always likes Robert Carlyle as an actor, and I remember some of the stories from the original BBC broadcasts.Although the Highland accents are somewhat mixed, that is a small detail to an English viewer, as the acting of the varied cast more than makes up for it.The main star of the show is the village of Lochdubh, in reality Plockton, and the scenery. Second only to the scenery is the central character of Hamish MacBeth, a city policeman who prefers the slower pace of the countryside and will do anything to preserve his quiet life and stop interference from the "city boys".Add to this the kind of eccentrics found in small communities (on TV anyway), a low level of actual policework, and Hamish's on/off love life, and you have perfect sunday night or afternoon viewing.There is very little extreme in language, violence etc. and the pace is comfortable.Robert Carlyle was once quoted as saying that filming this show was one of the most relaxed times in his career, and I think most viewers would agree on the results.

When I first saw this I thought it was just another incomprehensible Scottish pseudo-passion play, designed to keep actors and crew employed till something good comes along. After I saw the best part of the last series, I spent many hours reevaluating my thoughts on the series.I haven't opened the DVDs yet, yet one day I hope too. I bought the entire series because I believe it brilliant. I watched many shows on free to air tv.It is set in a picturesque Hamlet in Scotland, You could say it is the Scottish version of Heart Beat, but with the odd twist. Sometimes I just about went into convulsions, half laughter and half shock. Fancy a master piece like this being so cleverly disguised. I watched a few episodes. It took me a fair while but I realised I had to see this again. Sometimes it can shock the living hell of you. Just don't assume you know where it is going.

Thought the series is a bit dated now, it's nice to see the Scottish scenery and rewatch storylines I'd forgotten.

A great series watch it numerous times and I alway end up wishing I lived there my only gripe is there are only 3 seasons.