MONARCH of the Glen had us all dreaming of owning a stunning castle in the Scottish Highlands when it aired between 2000 and 2005.
The BBC One show starred Alastair McKenzie as Glenbogle heir Archie Macdonald, along with Dawn Steele and Richard Briers.
Monarch of the Glen was one of the BBC’s top shows and featured Alastair Mackenzie and Dawn Steele
It was loosely based on Sir Compton Mackenzie’s Highland Novels, which were set in the same location.
While series one to five focused on London restauranteur Archie’s bid to restore the decaying, rundown castle he’d inherited, the last two saw a new Laird attempt to modernise the Glenbogle estate.
Since the final episode many of the cast have gone on to star in other projects – with varying success.
Here we reveal what happened to the stars of Monarch of the Glen.
Alastair McKenzie – Archie MacDonald
Alastair says he left the show as he felt there was nothing left for his character
Alastair Mackenzie was an established star way before landing the lead role of Archie, which he played until 2003.
He has since been in productions in both the UK and across the pond including New Town Killers, Dracula, political drama Borgen, and three episodes of The Crown as British military commander Richard Aylard.
Alastair also owns a film production company with his brother, film director David.
He currently lives in Islington with his partner, Scottish actress Susan Vidler, and they share two children – Martha, 23, and Freddie, 19.
Alastair caused a stink in 2013 when he claimed kissing his Borgen co-star Sidse Babett Knudsen was like “eating a mouth full of cheese” and bedroom scenes were just something to “get on with”.
Susan Hampshire – Molly MacDonald
Susan is said to have turned down acting gigs in order to look after her husband
Susan was already a household name before she was cast as Archie’s mother Molly.
Some of the three-time Emmy winner’s most notable projects include The Forsyte Saga, The First Churchills, and Vanity Fair.
The 86-year-old has taken a step back from the limelight now and has only appeared in a few shows after Monarch of the Glen ended.
Twice married, Susan lost her second husband, Sir Eddie Kulukundis, aged 88 in 2021.
She reportedly sacrificed most acting opportunities in 2009 to help care for him after he developed dementia and type 2 diabetes. They share two children.
Richard Briers – Hector MacDonald
Richard had a long and illustrious career that spanned five decades
In a career that spanned five decades, Richard Briers conquered the world of film, television, theatre and radio.
He made a name for himself with roles in Marriage Lines, The Good Life, and Ever Decreasing Circles before joining Monarch of the Glen as Archie’s eccentric dad.
Like Susan, Richard retreated from the spotlight and only took on a few gigs after the show ended – one of his last roles was voicing a satnav in Top Gear.
He was married to actress Ann Davies and had two children – including actress Lucy Briers.
In 2013, Richard died aged 79 at his home in Bedford Park after suffering a heart attack. Many public figures paid tribute to him and his illustrious career.
Last year Ann also passed away – she was 87.
Lorraine Pilkington – Katrina Finlay
Although she played other roles, the show remains Lorraine’s best-known
Irish actress Lorraine Pilkington, 49, became mainstream thanks to her role as local school headteacher Katrina Finlay – who had a huge crush on Archie.
Although she found work in other TV shows and movies, Monarch of the Glen remains her best-known role.
She went on to star in Britannia High and had a minor recurring role on Casualty as Rosa, David Hide’s ex-wife.
Lorraine married Simon Massey, one of the directors of Monarch of the Glen, and they have three sons – Milo, Luca, and Inigo.
Alexander Morton – Golly Mackenzie
Alexander Morton appeared in all 64 episodes of the show as Golly Mackenzie
Alexander Morton was one of the long-standing cast members of the show, having appeared in all seven season as Golly, Glenbogle’s gamekeeper and ghillie.
The 78-year-old Scotsman already had a thriving acting career before the show – he was known for playing the villainous Andy Semple in the Scottish soap Take the High Road.
After the show wrapped he acted in Casualty, Thugger and Luther, opposite Idris Elba.
Alexander has been married three times and has one child from each of his first two marriages.
He married his third wife, Jane, just before filming for Monarch of the Glen. She was his landlady while he stayed in London for work.
Julian Fellowes – Lord Kilwillie
Julian, who went on to create Downton Abbey, now has a reported net worth of £7.7million
Although he was not a main character, Julian appeared throughout the show’s run as Lord Kilwillie.
Alongside his acting career, he was also a writer and director, but his biggest gig came after the show ended.
He is the creator of the hugely successful ITV series Belgravia and Downtown Abbey, which lasted six seasons and spawned two critically acclaimed films.
The show has also won several awards including Emmys, Baftas, and Golden Globes – and its success has contributed to Julian’s reported £7.7million net worth.
Julian, 73, is also a member of the House of Lords and sits on the Conservative bench.
In 2021 he was among 24 peers probed by a parliamentary watchdog over their financial interests, following allegations they breached transparency rules.
Dawn Steele – Lexie MacDonald
Dawn appeared in the fifth series of the show
Dawn, 47, appeared in the fifth series of the show – with her character, Lexie, going on to marry Archie and move to New Zealand.
Afterwards she was introduced to an even bigger audience when she starred in Wild at Heart as Alice.
These days she is best known for starring as Ange Godard on Holby City, until it was axed in 2022, and as Annie on the Scottish soap River City.
Fitness enthusiast Dawn has a daughter called Coco and regularly posts about her life on Instagram.
Hamish Clark – Duncan McKay
Hamish has since starred in Holby City and even appeared in Vodafone commercials
Hamish has been able to make a successful career out of playing supporting characters – as he did on Monarch of the Glen as lovable kilt-wearing ranger Duncan.
The 57-year-old has not been short of work since the show ended, with roles in Holby City, Arrested Development and the 2011 film The Decoy Bride, alongside David Tennant.
For a period he also acted in adverts for the likes of Vodafone and Budget Direct.
Martin Compston – Ewan Brodie
Martin bagged a role in BBC One drama Line of Duty
Joining the show in the fifth season gave Martin Compston, 39, one of his earliest roles in television.
The Scot stayed until the end and found even greater success afterwards – and looks almost unrecognisable from his baby-faced turn as Ewan.
Martin, who played football at a professional level in his teens, is now best known for playing AC-12’s Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in BBC One drama Line of Duty.
He also starred as the lead character in gangster film The Wee Man and the five-part mini-series The Nest.
He has been married to American actress Tianna Chanel Flynn since 2016 and lives with her in Las Vegas.
In 2019 he exposed a fake Instagram account in his name after being accused of messaging other women.
Last year Martin was forced to deny claims that he had sung IRA songs while on stage with Celtic fans.
In a statement he said: “Let me be absolutely clear, I unequivocally did not sing ANY sectarian songs. I’ve worked in Belfast too long to see damage done to think this stuff is a laugh.”
Lloyd Owen – Paul Bowman-MacDonald
Lloyd Owen played Paul, who took over as Laird from Archie in the later series
He looked unrecognisable in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Hunky Lloyd Owen’s character Paul took over from Archie as Laird of Glenbogle in series six after he and Lexie moved to New Zealand.
He went on to play Professor Jon Ford in the BBC Northern Ireland series The Innocence Project, and picked up roles in The Originals and played the President of the United States in the comedy series You, Me and the Apocalypse.
Lloyd has also had guest appearances in Death in Paradise and Silent Witness, and starred alongside Sheridan Smith in ITV’s 2019 drama Cleaning Up.
In 2020 he landed the part of Elendil in Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and looked unrecognisable with a beard and long hair.
Owen is married to actress and artist Juliette Mole, with whom he shares two children.
