Scotch on the Rocks
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''Scotch on the Rocks'' is a TV serial based on the novel by
Douglas Hurd Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995. A career diplomat and political secretary to P ...
and Andrew Osmond. The book is the third in a loose trilogy, the other two being '' Send Him Victorious'' and ''The Smile on the Face of the Tiger''. Written around 1968 and first published by William Collins in 1971, it was a political thriller set in Scotland in the near future (early 1970s). It assumed that there would be a political crisis in which the Scottish National Party would emerge as a serious force. A paramilitary organisation operating on the fringes of the SNP, the Scottish Liberation Army, stages a rising, seizing Fort William.
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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TV adapted it in 1973. Both the novel and the television serial were considered quite controversial. The BBC promised at the time never to show the series again, and it was believed the master tapes had been wiped because of the controversy. In 2012 it was stated that the series had not been wiped and that the tapes are held in the archives of BBC Scotland, In 2010
Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...
, then leader of the SNP, told Douglas Hurd that it was one of his favourite novels and described it as "a cracking read".http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Alex-Salmond-admits-a-soft.6487093.jp The Scotsman, 21 August 2010


Plot

In the 1970s a general election is approaching and the British authorities fear that the Scottish National Party and an underground movement, the Scottish Liberation Army (SLA), will increase their influence. Pro-establishment
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
agent Graham Hart, and Detective Superintendent Rennie of the Glasgow
CID CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...
infiltrate a demolition expert named MacNair into the SLA. Hart is trying to prove that John Mackie, an SNP
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
with socialist leanings, is involved with the SLA, while Rennie wishes to arrest Brodie, a vicious criminal who is organising Glasgow youth gangs for the SLA. They also hope that MacNair can identify the SLA leader, a shadowy figure named ''An Ceannard''. The general election takes place, and results in a
hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisla ...
. The SNP also fail to win an absolute majority of the Scottish seats. Mackie's girlfriend Susan ("Sukey") Dunmayne, daughter of a
laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...
, briefs an SLA section in
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, consisting mainly of students and commanded by effete lecturer Donald Levi, to act against any deal between Henderson, the moderate leader of the SNP, and the sitting
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
Prime Minister Patrick Harvey. Their plan to kidnap SNP delegates is reported to the authorities by MacNair. The students are arrested, except one who is armed, and who is shot by soldiers led by notorious
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
hard-liner Colonel Cameron. Brodie has discovered a paper trail left by Hart's clumsy attempt to establish a cover story for MacNair's past. He, Sukey and Donald Levi kidnap MacNair and take him to a castle in the Highlands where the SLA keep much of their arsenal. Under duress, MacNair uses his expertise to carry out a number of demolitions. Henderson and Harvey have meanwhile thrashed out a deal at Hexham, making several concessions to Scotland but stopping short of independence. When the SNP meet to ratify the deal, Henderson is surprised that Mackie's militant wing of the party is prepared to support it, in return only for a letter from Henderson, which states that the SNP remains committed to obtaining independence for Scotland by any means. However, at the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, Mackie deliberately shows this letter to Anglo-Scottish Tory grandee Lord Thorganby. Although semi-retired, Thorganby still has influence, and when he reads out Mackie's letter in front of the delegates, he thwarts any possibility of the Conservatives ratifying the deal worked out at Hexham. Brodie has kidnapped the ineffectual Secretary of State for Scotland George Scullard as a publicity stunt, but the kidnapping goes wrong and Scullard is drowned. Forced to reverse his policy on Scotland, Harvey appoints Thorganby to be the new Scottish Secretary. Having belatedly discovered the link between Mackie and Sukey Dunmayne, MI5 send Hart to France to investigate possible links between Sukey and
French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Un ...
leader Serge Bucholz. Hart is betrayed by French security officials and is shot dead from a passing car. Donald Levi has tried to emigrate to
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
via France, but has been forced to return to Scotland with a letter from Bucholz for Sukey. MacNair sees him pass the letter to SLA section leader Robert Duguid. Following Thorganby's appointment and the promise of a hard line being taken with pro-independence agitation, Mackie has decided that the time is right for the SLA to launch an armed insurrection. Thorganby is taken prisoner by Sukey while on a brief walking holiday in the Highlands. The SLA seize Fort William, while several Scottish units of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
defect to the SLA. Mackie openly joins the insurrection. MacNair prepares the bridge at Ballachulish for demolition, to forestall any counter-attack. Left alone briefly, he stuns Duguid and snatches Bucholz's letter from him. Brodie seriously wounds him with a knife but he breaks free. Brodie blows up the Ballachulish bridge to stop him, causing many SLA casualties. Thorganby is stunned to discover that Colonel Cameron is ''An Ceannard''. Cameron believes that Scotland will become a nation only if blood is shed in a war of liberation. He forces Thorganby to walk to English lines in his pyjamas in full view of the press and TV cameras, to ensure maximum humiliation and publicity. The SLA then begin to advance south through
Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
. In London, the Cabinet is prepared to capitulate. Thorganby is especially despondent. However, Brodie, who had been placed under arrest by the SLA for insubordination, has deserted and brought with him Bucholz's letter, which MacNair had dropped. He expects a reward, but Rennie arrests him for the murder of MacNair, whose body has been found under the ruined Ballachulish Bridge. Prime Minister Harvey uses Bucholz's letter to sway the Cabinet into decisive action. He then reads selected parts of the letter on television, stating that the avowed aim of Bucholz and Mackie was to establish a socialist dictatorship in Scotland. When Cameron hears the broadcast, he forces Mackie to flee, rather than face retribution. The broadcast also induces many recent recruits to desert the SLA, taking advantage of an amnesty announced by Harvey. Henderson has already disavowed the SLA, and he and Harvey negotiate a limited form of independence for Scotland. The SLA tries to retreat into the Western Highlands, but its remnants are defeated and scattered by an air assault. Cameron takes to the hills as a fugitive. Two months later, an independence ceremony is held in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. Thorganby has died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
, Mackie and Bucholz have fled to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
while Sukey Dunmayne, who has been granted an amnesty, has given birth to Mackie's child. Cameron makes a sensational appearance at the ceremony and tries to hoist the Scottish flag. When the flag party tries to arrest him, he commits suicide, stabbing himself with a
Sgian-dubh The ( ; ) – also anglicized as skene – is a small, single-edged knife ( gd, sgian) worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. Originally used for eating and preparing fruit, meat, and cutting bread and cheese, ...
.


Cast in the television series

*
Maria Aitken Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is an English theatre director, teacher, actress, and writer. Early life and career Aitken was born in Dublin, Ireland, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and Penelo ...
as Sukey Dunmayne *
John Cairney John Cairney (born 16 February 1930) is a Scottish film and television actor who is well known to audiences in Scotland and internationally through his one-man shows on Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Service, Charles Rennie Macki ...
as John Mackie *Bill Henderson as Robert Duguid * Madeleine Christie as Mrs. Merrilies *
Clinton Greyn Clinton Greyn (29 September 1933 – 19 March 2019) was a Welsh-born actor noted for his appearances in British television series of the 1960s and 1970s. After graduating from RADA in 1957, Greyn worked in rep at Ipswich, Chesterfield and the ...
as Colonel Cameron *
Cyril Luckham Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb. Career The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...
as Lord Thorganby *
Leonard Maguire Leonard Maguire (26 May 1924 – 12 September 1997) was a British actor, born in England but most renowned in Scotland where he lived for much of his life. Maguire had a long career, beginning in the 1940s. He died in 1997, aged 73, after a leng ...
as James Henderson *
Maurice Roëves John Maurice Roëves (; 19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a British actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 ...
as Brodie *
Bill Simpson E. J. "Bill" Simpson (March 14, 1940 – December 16, 2019) was an American racecar driver, but is best known as a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. He left Simpson Performance in a controversy s ...
as MacNair *Gerry Slevin as Chief Insp. Rennie *
Peter Cellier Peter Cellier (born 12 July 1928) is an English actor who has appeared in film, stage and television. He is known for his role as Sir Frank Gordon in ''Yes Minister'' and then ''Yes, Prime Minister'' in the 1980s. Early life Cellier was born i ...
as Hart * Paul WhitsunasJones as Levi


External links


IMDB entryarticle
on this and similar "tartan terror" novels
BFI.org
Phase 1 * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1415666/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_20
BFI.org

BFI.org

BFI.org

BFI.org
Phase 5


References

{{Reflist BBC television dramas BBC Scotland television shows 1971 British novels Scottish novels British thriller novels Novels set in Scotland British political novels 1971 in Scotland Scottish National Party 1970s Scottish television series 1970s British drama television series Scottish independence 1973 Scottish television series debuts 1973 Scottish television series endings