Outlaw King fans have a new Robert the Bruce — and he’s a Scot
2 December 2018
Real life historical figure Robert the Bruce, one time King of Scotland, has been receiving some extra love lately thanks to Star Trek heartthrob Chris Pine. Pine’s performance as the rugged rogue monarch in Outlaw King arrived on Netflix in early November.
But BBC Scotland isn’t far behind with its own bloody take on the rise of the Bruce, starring Scottish actor David Paisley.
The first episode of the sword-clanging new historical docu-drama series Rise of the Clans features stunning scenery and dramatic reconstructions, with a suitably suited-and-booted Paisley alongside the passionate presenting skills of Neil Oliver.
Covering many of the same historical incidents, this Bruce re-telling takes a very different tack on some key scenes — including the way one infamous murder went down...
When Robert the Bruce meets his rival John Comyn, tempers fray and things soon get ugly
This time it’s a sharp dagger in a country church that changes the fate of a nation.
A blood-soaked saga of battles and feuds, loyalty and betrayal.
Neil Oliver follows the clans on the sidelines as they rally behind Robert the Bruce in his against-all-odds bid to win Scotland’s crown.
As well as the rise of Robert the Bruce, the series also re-tells the dramatic assassination of King James I and how the clans plotted against Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots — ultimately leading to the beheading of the most charismatic Queen in Scottish history.
With a new Mary Queen of Scots film set to hit cinema screens in January 2019, starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, Scotland’s rich history continues to be a huge draw for filmmakers and dramatists.
Trailer for Rise of the Clans
The real-life Game of Thrones story of Scotland’s Clans
Throughout the series, Oliver travels back in time to reveal the real life Game of Thrones: the story of Scotland’s ancient clans. The series follows the epic struggle for power in medieval Scotland, told from the point of view of the feuding clans.
As well as Neil Oliver’s take, the first episode includes fascinating insights from an impressive list of historians from the Universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Glasgow and the National Trust for Scotland.
One of our favourite takeaways? Clan is the Gaelic word for children. Who knew?
Rise of the Clans begins on Monday 3 December on BBC One Scotland. Catch up with the series on BBC iPlayer.
Rise of the Clans on BBC iPlayer
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Episode One: The Bruce Supremacy
Neil follows the clans as they rallied behind Robert the Bruce in his against-all-odds bid to win Scotland's crown.
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