Introduction

‘In Search of Scotland’ is a new ten-part television series presented by Fiona Watson that questions the nature of Scottish national identity through an expansive and detailed historical investigation of the country’s history.

The programme is broadcast every Monday at 8.30 pm on BBC 2 Scotland from February 19th and repeated every following Sunday at 10.55 pm on BBC 1 Scotland.

Filmed entirely on location, the programme searches for the key to Scottish identity in the actual places where the continuing historical drama of Scotland unfolds. The Highlands and the Lowlands, the great industrial cities to the tempestuous Western Isles - the ever-varied landscape of Scotland supplies the stunning backdrop to the journey through time on which Fiona leads us.

With the help of Historic Scotland, who manage and care for a wealth of archaeological and historic locations around the country, we are encouraged to find history in the landscape all around us and not just in the stories of mighty kings or great battles.

Scotland is a complicated character and many of its traits and peculiarities are better explained through the lives of ordinary people - whether they be Neolithic farmers, Picts, Gaels, Angles, Vikings or Britons; whether they be Highlanders or Lowlanders; whatever religion or race they be. The programme shows that, from the very beginning, Scotland was a multi-lingual and multi-cultural being with more than a few contradictions to deal with.

The In Search of Scotland website offers a full range of historical resources to complement and enhance your enjoyment of the programme, including information on most of the historical locations visited by Fiona during the series. For further online reference from external websites, visit our Webguide.

Any further questions you have in relation to the programme itself may be answered in our Frequently Asked Questions page.

All the sites listed are checked regularly. However, the constantly-changing nature of the Internet means some sites may alter after we have visited them. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Web sites.