''The Crow Road'' is a four-part television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irelan ...

in 1996, based faithfully on the 1992 novel of the same name by Scottish novelist

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Facto ...

. It was directed by Gavin Millar.

Summary

The cast includes Joseph McFadden as Prentice McHoan, Bill Paterson as his father,

Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), '' Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011). Early life S ...

as his older brother (another, younger brother in the novel has been written out here) and

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in '' Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in '' The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), fo ...

as his missing uncle Rory, who via a narrative device employed in the adaptation, visits the thoughtful Prentice when he is alone. The production was nominated as Best Drama Serial at the 1997

British Academy Television Awards The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

. Following the success of this TV serial, the same team went on to adapt Banks's ''

Complicity Complicity is the participation in a completed criminal act of an accomplice, a partner in the crime who aids or encourages ( abets) other perpetrators of that crime, and who shared with them an intent to act to complete the crime.''Criminal ...

'' as a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

Cast

* Joseph McFadden as Prentice McHoan * Bill Paterson as Kenneth McHoan *

as Rory McHoan *

Valerie Edmond Valerie Edmond (born 1969) is a Scottish actress. Her first notable role was in '' The Sunshine Boys'' at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, directed by Maureen Lipman, soon after she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Lipm ...

as Ashley Watt *

as Lewis McHoan *

David Robb David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor. Early life Born in London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley, Robb grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, where he played Henry II in a school product ...

as Fergus Urvill * Elizabeth Sinclair as Mary McHoan * Gudrun Ure as Margot McHoan * Patricia Kerrigan as Janice * Simone Bendix as Verity Walker *

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...

as Hamish McHoan *

Stella Gonet Stella Gonet (born 8 May 1960) is a Scottish theatre, film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC dramas '' The House of Eliott'' (1991–94) and ''Holby City'' (2007–09). Her stage credits include playing Ophelia in th ...

as Fiona Urvill *

Claire Nielson Claire Nielson (née Isbister; born 8 April 1937) is a Scottish actress, primarily known for her television roles. On television, she played the wife of the belligerent American guest, Mr. Hamilton, in the "Waldorf Salad" episode of ''Fawlty ...

as Antonia McHoan * Edward Casey as Young Prentice McHoan

Critical reception

Reviewing the DVD

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

in 2015, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' wrote "the best TV adaptations capture the spirit of the original while adding something of their own – and The Crow Road, which first aired almost 20 years ago, is one of the finest adaptations of them all, managing to distil Bank’s complex tale into four hours of sharply evocative TV."

Episodes

References

External links

* *
Location guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crow Road, The 1996 Scottish television series debuts 1996 Scottish television series endings 1990s British drama television series BBC Scotland television shows BBC television dramas 1990s British television miniseries English-language television shows Television shows based on British novels 1990s Scottish television series Films directed by Gavin Millar