''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 h ...

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 Ireland. I ...

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 Factor ...

. It was directed by

Gavin Millar Gavin Millar (11 January 1938 – 20 April 2022) was a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter. Biography Millar was born in Clydebank, near Glasgow, the son of Tom Millar and his wife Rita (née Osborne). The family relocated ...

Summary

The cast includes

Joseph McFadden Joseph McFadden may refer to: *Joe McFadden Joseph McFadden (born 9 October 1975) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in ''The Crow Road,'' '' Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll, Heartbeat'' and '' Holby City.'' McFadden won the 2017 series o ...

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 Sc ...

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 Doctor, twelfth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in ' ...

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 Law ...

'' 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

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. Lipman ...

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, Edinburgh, Royal High School, where he played ...

as Fergus Urvill * Elizabeth Sinclair as Mary McHoan *

Gudrun Ure Gudrun Ure (born 12 March 1926) is a Scottish actress, most famous for her portrayal of the title character in ''Super Gran''. Biography Ure was born in Campsie, Stirlingshire. She starred in Orson Welles' 1951 stage production of '' Othel ...

as Margot McHoan * Patricia Kerrigan as Janice *

Simone Bendix Simone Bendix (born 26 September 1967) is a Danish actress. Bendix trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In addition to the 1994 Gerry Anderson science-fiction drama ''Space Precinct'', in which she played the regular role of Officer J ...

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 the ...

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. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 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

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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