Series synopsis
Rise of the Clans is a British documentary war & politics television series that premiered on BBC One Scotland on December 3, 2018. It ended on December 17, 2018. It stars Neil Oliver.
Series following an epic struggle for power in medieval Scotland, told from the point of view of the feuding clans.
Premise
Series following an epic struggle for power in medieval Scotland, told from the point of view of the feuding clans.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Neil Oliver as Self - Presenter
Guest cast
- Jon Dan Duncan as Bruce's men
- Darren Mitchell as Clansman
- Christian Zanone as Comyn
- Hannah Young as Queen Joan Beaufort
- Gordon Millar as Walter
- Andy John Noble as Murdac
- Samuel Gilbert-Davies as Lord Darnley
- David R. Montgomery as Earl of Morton
- Jamie Richard-Stewart as James Stewart Earl of Moray
- Emma Snellgrove as Mary, Queen of Scots
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 3 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | December 3, 2018 | December 17, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Bruce Supremacy Neil Oliver travels back in time to reveal the real life Game of Thrones - the story of Scotland's ancient clans. A blood-soaked saga of battles and feuds, loyalty and betrayal, love and death set against the country's wild mountains and glens. In this first episode, Neil follows the clans as they rallied behind Robert the Bruce in his against-all-odds bid to win Scotland's crown. After their crucial role in crushing the English at Bannockburn in 1314, Bruce rewarded the loyal chiefs with land and titles. They rise to shape the fate of kingdom in the centuries to come. |
December 3, 2018 |
| 2 |
Brothers at War Neil Oliver follows the rise of Clan Stewart to become Scotland’s Royal dynasty. It’s the blood soaked tale of a bitter family feud. In a vicious contest, using clan power to plot, manoeuvre and murder their way to power, the story culminates with the dramatic assassination of King James I below a tennis court in Perth, 1437. Neil traces this family feud through clan combat, royal romances and spectacular Renaissance courts to the brutal torture and execution of the last rival Stewart, Walter Atholl, when the king’s widowed Queen Joan wreaks a terrible revenge for his treachery. |
December 10, 2018 |
| 3 |
A Queen Betrayed Neil Oliver reveals how the clans plotted against Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots, ultimately leading to the beheading of the most charismatic queen in Scottish history. The tale turns on a brother's plot to overthrow his sister in a ruthless bid for power. James Stewart, Earl of Moray, uses clan power to first control and then rid Scotland of his sister Mary. As she battles conspiracies, plots and counterplots, Mary is trapped in the cruel and tumultuous world of clan blood feuds. After they murder her husband Lord Darnley and Mary flees into the arms of the Earl of Bothwell, the most ruthless of Scotland's clan chiefs, civil war breaks out. Mary escapes to England, never to return again. |
December 17, 2018 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One Scotland |
|---|---|
| First aired | December 3, 2018 |
| Last aired | December 17, 2018 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Monday at 21:00:00 |