David McCallum in a kilt, dodging Redcoats and stealing scenes—1979 television went HARD for Scottish drama.
Season 1 • Episode 13
LatestKidnapped, shipwrecked, suspected of murder, abducted and now, free at last in Holland, David fights for the love of Catriona and to save Alan Breck.
David McCallum stars as the rebellious Alan Breck Stewart, and this ambitious serial (a co-production between HTV and Germany's Tele-Munchen) also features a host of British character actors, including Bill Simpson, Patrick Allen, Andrew Keir, Patrick Magee and Frank Windsor. When young David Balfour arrives at his uncle's bleak Scottish house to claim his inheritance, his relative tries to murder him then has him shipped off to be sold as a slave in the colonies. Luckily for the lad, he strikes up a friendship with Alan Breck Stewart, who is on the run after Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden. When a ship's captain tries to kill Breck for his money, the two manage to get to land and set out for Edinburgh, dodging the ruthless Redcoats along the way.
Acting
McCallum's charisma carries every scene he's in.
Production
Surprisingly ambitious location shooting for 1979 TV.
Costume
Highland dress that actually looks lived-in, not costume-shop.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This Franco-German-British co-production was one of HTV's most expensive series at the time, shot partly on location in Scotland.
Released during a late-70s Scottish cultural revival, it rode the wave of Outlander-adjacent romantic nationalism—decades before Outlander existed.
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