Take the High Road
Credits
Genre	Soap opera
Created by	Don Houghton
Country of origin	Scotland
Production
Produced by	SMG Productions
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV, Scottish/Grampian
Original run	4 February 1980 – 27 April 2003
Links
IMDb profile

Take the High Road was a soap opera produced by SMG Productions (Scottish Television) and set in the fictional village of Glendarroch (exteriors were filmed in the real-life village of Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond). It started in February 1980 as an ITV daytime soap opera, and was dropped by the network in 1993, although various members of the ITV Network (notably Central Television) continued to screen the programme, while others (such as Yorkshire Television and Carlton Television) had no interest in doing so. In 1994, the series' name was changed to just High Road, and from then on it continued to be produced by Scottish Television, for a Scottish audience, until it was cancelled in April 2003. Image File history File links High_road. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... Don Houghton was television screenwriter who wrote the stories Inferno and The Mind of Evil for Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who in 1970 and 1971. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime... SMG Productions is the network television production arm of the Scottish media group SMG plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. ... ITV1 is the name, in England, Wales and the Scottish borders, for a terrestrial, free-to-air television channel, broadcast in the United Kingdom by the ITV network. ... The correct title of this article is . ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... SMG Productions is the network television production arm of the Scottish media group SMG plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. ... Scottish Television (stv central), now known as stv on air, is Scotlands largest independent television franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. ... Luss is a village in the Argyll & Bute region of Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond, Scotlands largest freshwater loch. ... For other uses, see Loch Lomond (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... Central TV logo, 1985_1998 Central Independent Television, or to give it its familiar name, Central Television or Central, is a British Independent Television company that took over from ATV on 1 January 1982. ... Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ... Carlton Television was the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas from 9:25am every Monday to 5. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime...

High Road was introduced as a replacement for Garnock Way, which contained more or less all of the original characters of High Road, and had also spun off from a Scottish Television soap called High Living. The name derived from the traditional song "The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomon'", of which part of the chorus runs:

O ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,

Much of the early scripts were written by Michael Elder who also made guest appearances in the Show. Books by the same name as the show were also produced by him. In the early days of the scripting, the show was fairly credible, however as time went on poor storylines were to follow. It remains however one of Scotland's Exports and perhaps is best remembered abroad.

During the course of its existence, High Road went through a few major changes and face lifts. Perhaps the most noticeable was the renovation of Blair's store: everything was kept behind the Cashier's desk as was Scottish culture in the old days; by 1990, however, it had transformed into a walk-around store. MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...

There were a few themes in High Road, in line with Scottish culture, namely the idea of the rich female Laird who owned the town, and the theme of protestant religion which was always present. It also entertained the feeling that outsiders were simply not welcome into the small close-knit community, something which may exist in any small village. Modernity was coming, and the way of thinking of the first to final Lairds was completely different. A lord is a male who has power and authority. ...

Towards the end of the show's life, it had tackled many social issues such as lesbianism, suicide and drug abuse, which was new to Scottish Television, although not new to the ITV network. This article is about homosexual women, not inhabitants of the Greek island of Lesbos A lesbian (lowercase L) is a homosexual woman. ... Suicide (Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally taking ones own life. ...

Perhaps one of the reasons High Road was eventually cancelled was due to the poor scripting in its final years. For example, the lead character, Mrs Mack, had been transformed from a traditional Presbyterian battleaxe to a party animal who enjoyed going to football matches. Such a character change was simply not believable. In other bids to stop the show going under, Andy Cameron, a well-known older Scottish comedian, was introduced to the show. His introduction, however, did not attract younger viewers but firmly raised the average age of the viewer to at least 60. The departure of the main younger characters, such as the Mackays, did not help, although young relationships and characters were always present and, bizarrely enough, not always Scottish. Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Andy Cameron (born 1940) is a Scottish comedian, TV & radio broadcaster. ...

High Road will be remembered for its changes and, at times, its very stereotyped casting of a Scottish village, rather than its fame as a soap, although its way of bringing together modernity with the old ways of the country really give it credit.

During its run, High Road was always one of the highest-rated television programmes in Scotland, and had an extremely loyal following throughout the rest of the UK. Indeed, when the series was cancelled by the ITV Network, so many protests were received from viewers in England that some ITV regions re-instated the programme. It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ...

Micky MacPherson who played lead love interest, Scott Logan, moved on to a successful career in panto, particularly renowned for his dancing performance as the Goose in family favourite "Mother Goose". He has since become a BAFTA award winning film producer, running his own highly successful business, Plum Films, in Edinburgh. Full Name: Scott Logan Profession: Rugby League Player Team: Wigan Warriors Position: Prop Height: 192cm Weight: 112kg DOB: 22nd June 1976 Nationality: Australian ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Cast List from Episode 1

• Elizabeth Cunningham – Edith MacArthur
• Alan McIntyre – Martin Cochrane
• Kay Grant – Vivien Heilbron
• Max Langemann – Frederick Jaeger
• Dougal Lachlan – Alec Monteath
• Grace Lachlan – Marjorie Thomson
• Amy Lachlan – Julie Ann Fullarton
• Isabel Blair – Eileen McCallum
• Jimmy Blair – Jimmy Chisholm
• Ken Calder – Bill Henderson
• Maggie Ferguson – Irene Sunters
• Lorna Seton – Joan Alcorn
• Fiona Cunningham – Caroline Ashley

Edith MacArthur MBE is a Scottish actress, born in Ayrshire and noted for her elegant screen presence. ... Frederick Jaeger (29 May 1928-18 June 2004) was a German-born actor who found success working in British television. ...

Cast List from the final episode

• Isabel Blair - Eileen McCallum
• Sheila Ramsay - Lesley Fitz Simons
• Effie McDonald - Mary Riggans
• Jockie McDonald - Jackie Farell
• Mairi McIvor - Anne Myatt
• Lachie MacIvor - Alec Heggie
• Morag Kerr - Jeannie Fisher
• Tom Kerr - John Stahl
• Mrs Mack - Gwyneth Guthrie
• Victor Kemp - Iain Andrew
• Nigel Jenkins - Keith Warwick
• Davie Sneddon - Derek Lord
• Naill Cassidy - Barry Lord
• Sally McGann - Catriona Evans
• Sarah McDonald - Shonagh Price
• Baby Sadie McDonald - Courtney Jane McWatt
• PC Tony Piacentini - Alan McHugh
• Chic Cherry - Andy Cameron
• Paul Lafferty - Simon Weir
• Ewan Logan - Gordon Brown
• Mr Spinetti - Terry Wale
• Kitty McIvor - Sarah Gudgeon
• Lynne McNeil - Gillian McNeil
• Surveyor - Ronnie Simon

Jackie Farrell is born in Paisley. ... John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was an American film director and producer. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Andy Cameron (born 1940) is a Scottish comedian, TV & radio broadcaster. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This cites very few or no references or sources. ...

The Characters

• Isabel Blair/Morgan – Eileen McCallum
• Jimmy Blair – Jimmy Chisholm
• Ken Calder – Bill Henderson
• Elizabeth Cunningham – Edith MacArthur
• Fiona Cunningham/Ryder - Caroline Ashley
• Maggie Ferguson – Irene Sunters
• Kay Grant – Vivien Heilbron
• Amy Lachlan - Julie Ann Fullarton
• Dougal Lachlan – Alec Monteath
• Grace Lachlan – Marjorie Thomson
• Max Langemann – Frederick Jaeger
• Alan McIntyre – Martin Cochrane
• Lorna Seton – Joan Alcorn

Books

• Summers Gloaming (1982)
• Danger in the Glen (1984)
• Mist on the Moorland (1985)
• The Man From France (1986)
• The Last of the Lairds (1987)
• 10 Years of Take the High Road (1990)

UK ITV Regional Scheduling

 2001: it Friday Afternoon 2.30pm ( it was about 2 years behide STV!) | ??? 

 1990 - mid 1993: Mondays and Fridays at 18:30 Mid 1993 - Sept 1993: Mondays only at 18:30. Sept 1993 - Mid 1996: Fridays at 19:00. Mid 1996 - Jan 1998: Tuesdays at 19:00. Jan 1998 - Jan 1999: Fridays at 19:00 (20:00 was used initially before reverting to the customdary 19:00.) Jan 1999 - mid 2000: Mondays at 19:00. Late 2000 - 2003: Sundays at 19:00 - with Summer breaks. ( It got dumped onto a sunday because of Emmerdale going 5 nights a week and the viewing firgues did slip! 

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Border Television (now legally known as ITV Border Ltd) is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland, much of Cumbria and, until December 2006, the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed), and also the Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man. ... The current Channel TV ident Channel Television (CTV) is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV), contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. ... Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... HTV Group plc is a television company, the ITV contractor of Wales and the West of England, owned by ITV plc. ... Scottish Television (stv central), now known as stv on air, is Scotlands largest independent television franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Meridian is: Meridian (astronomy): an imaginary circle perpendicular to the horizon. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Carlton Television was the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas from 9:25am every Monday to 5. ... Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. ... For other uses of the UTV acronym see UTV (disambiguation) Ulster Television plc (UTV) is a media company based in Northern Ireland. ... Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The term Westcountry could to refer one of two things: The South West England ITV franchise holder: Westcountry Television. ... Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ...

Theme tune

There were 4 versions of the theme tune over the 23 year run. The first version was performed by Silly Wizard and was used until 1982. This version was quite "Scottish folk band" in style and pretty lively.

The "Silly Wizard" theme tune was replaced by an orchestral version in 1982. This orchestral version was used from 1982 until 1986. It featured wind and stringed instruments and had percussion.

The third version was a different orchestral arrangement and was used from 1986 until 1990. This new orchestral version was more violin led than the former, which had made more use of wind instruments, and featured no percussion.

In 1990, the fourth, rock-style version made its debut and continued to be used until the end of the series. This version was electric guitar led and featured percussion during the "middle" section. It's probably worth knowing that from 1994 when the programme name was shortened to High Road, the length of the closing credits was cut, so the closing theme was faded in just before the mid point.

The theme tune was written by Arthur Blake.

Closing credit styles

Originally the font used on the end credits was white. From 1980 - 82, all the credits would scroll up the screen and were centrally justified. The character name and actor names were on separate lines and the same presentation was used for the production credits. The copyright date was displayed on the Scottish Television end board and was displayed in Arabic numerals.

In 1986/87, a new font was adopted for the closing credits. For the cast list, the character and actor names were displayed on separate lines and were centrally justified. These credits were displayed on separate slides and there were usually about 3 or 4 names on each slide. The character name was shown in a pale blue colour. The actor name would be shown in a darker blue, and the text was noticeable larger and bolder.

For the production credits, the job title would appear at the far left of the screen and the person's name would appear underneath but slightly indented. Like the cast credits, these were all displayed on separate slides. The director credit would usually appear last. The copyright date continued to be shown in Arabic numerals.

In 1990, changes were made to the presentation of the credits although the font remained the same. From 1990-94, the credits were centrally justified, and were all scrolling. The character and actor names would appear on separate lines, and the same procedure was used for the production credits. This also marked the change where the copyright year would be displayed with the last credit rather than the Scottish Television end board. For the majority of 1990 - 94 episodes, the director credit would appear last. From 1991, the copyright date was shown in Roman numerals.

From 1994, the character and actor names would appear on the same line and the procedure was followed for the production credits. The font size was noticeably reduced to allow this. These credits were all scrolling. From 1994, the producer credit would appear last.

From 2000, the end credits followed exactly the same procedure as the 1994 introduced style although the font style was changed and the colour was changed to white.

Unusual credits sequences

On very rare occasions, episodes ended with unusual closing credit sequences.

In 1990, Archie Menzies died. For the episode showing his funeral, no credits were actually shown. Instead, a solo piper played the "Take the High Road" tune while the other characters were gathered by his graveside. A board was shown at the end, paying tribute to the actor, Paul Kermack.

In mid 1991, Carol McKay and TeeJay Wilson got married. At the end of the episode where the wedding ceremony had just started, the characters' singing of "O Father, all creating" was used for about half of the closing credits, before the regular theme tune was faded in.

In a late 1991 episode, Carol and TeeJay's baby daughter died from cot death. No music was used for the closing credits.

At the end of the episode featuring the village concert in 1992, the credits are played over a scene of the characters gathered on stage singing. The regular theme music is faded in at a very late point.

At the end of a 1999 episode, Runrig's "Loch Lomond" was playing during a party scene - this continued and was used for the closing credits.

In the final episode, Lachie McIvor and Mairi McNeil get married. The credits roll over the guests walking out of the church. Instead of the usual theme music, the credits are accompanied by the wedding piper's playing of "Mairi's Wedding". At the end of the credits, the following caption is displayed:

Since 1980, High Road has been a piece of Scotland in homes across the UK and overseas. Scottish Television would like to thank the cast, the crews and the writers who worked on High Road over the years. HIGH ROAD 1980 - 2003

Producers

• Clarke Tait 1980-1981
• Brian Mahoney 1981-1990
• Frank Cox 1990-1993
• John G. Temple 1993-2000
• Mark Grindle 2000-2003

External links

• stv.tv
• Watch episodes on SMG's archive website
• Take the High Road at the Internet Movie Database