Monarch of the Glen

Young restaurant owner Archie MacDonald is called urgently from London back to his ailing fathers bedside in the ancestral home in Scotland, Glenbogle. He soon discovers that Hector has nothing worse than a cold and his sweet but dotty mother Molly has called him home on a pretext and has worked events so he cant easily escape back to London.

Jealousies run high when Archies girlfriend and business partner, Justine travels up from London to see whats holding Archie up. It seems she feels he has developed too much of a soft spot for local girl Katrina. She also stumbles on a locked room at the estate which apparently belonged to Archies brother who drowned when they were teenagers. The Glenbogle ball proves to be the scene of the Justine/Katrina showdown.

Archies wayward sister Lizzie turns up with her New Age boyfriend Gerald and it seems the pair have big plans to turn Glenbogle into a kind of hippy retreat. Archie and Gerald end up at loggerheads, however, when some of their New Age ideals seem to involve Hector rediscovering his lost youth and taking an ill advised swim in the lake.

Archie tries to juggle his life in London with his new role as Laird of Glenbogle. He and Lexie make a hectic journey down to London for a special Highland night in his restaurant and he dashes back north just in time to see Katrina beat Kilwillie in the local elections. Understandably Justines patience is wearing very thin.

Six months of Justine at Glenbogle has been too much for the other residents, Lexie is threatening to quit her job, Hector and Molly have already moved out and Katrina just wont come near the place. To add to the stress, the bank keeps sending representatives to keep an eye on things. Eventually, Archie and Justine have a big, public break up.

While Hector has to go to an old flame for help with a rejected grant application, Golly and Fergal are locking horns in a power struggle over the estate. Poor Duncan finds himself stuck in the middle again as the two mean battle for his loyalty.

While Archie attempts to turn a derelict Crofters cottage into a proper tourist attraction, Molly finds her gambling addiction has landed her in trouble with a Glasgow gangster who arrives on the estate expecting his I.O.U.s to be paid in full.

Lizzie arrives at Glenbogle, heavily pregnant and abandoned by the babys married father. She wants comfort and support but finds her father disappointed and disapproving. Lizzie plants doubts in Katrinas mind about leaving with Fergal to start a new life and as Archie battles to reconcile Lizzie and Hector before the baby is born, Katrina has some serious thinking to do.

The bank sends a manager to oversee the daily running of the new business at Glenbogle and Archie soon discovers that Stella Moon is no push over. After everything theyve been through Katrina announces her decision to take a job in London and she and Archie reluctantly agree to part. Meanwhile Hector and Kilwillie stand against each other to take over as new chairman of the golf club.

Stella puts a ban on anyone fishing in the Glenbogle river who doesnt pay. Hector and Killwillie are not impressed and defy her rule. They are arrested and find themselves in a cell next to Golly who Stella has reported fro poaching. Of coarse the whole thing is a huge misunderstanding and Molly defends the Glenbogle Three in court where the truth eventually comes out.

With the bridge repaired, Archie plans an elaborate opening ceremony. He is horrified to learn that the council have approved Stuart McIntoshs proposal to turn Ben Bogle into a holiday village. Molly enlists Duncans help to prove that the proposed site is actually a place of historical interest but they must work against the clock if they are going to save the mountain. All Stuarts plans are scuppered when Duncan finds a secret passage full of artefacts and Lexie discovers that Stuart made a pass at Stella.

While Duncan tries to impress his visiting pen-pal Marie-Helene by swapping places with Archie and becoming Laird for the day, Archie, now as Head Keeper, has to impress an inspector from the Health and Safety Directorate. Nothing goes right however and the inspector threatens to have the place shut down. Broken hearted, Duncan discovers that Marie-Helene is in love with another man but helps her get back together with him. Molly manages to get the estate a stay of execution by playing the sentimental card when she recognises the inspectors face from a visit he and his now ex-wife made to Glenbogle years before.

When Stella realises that the estate doesnt need her anymore and the bank will send her to a new assignment she decides to sabotage everything she can lay her hands on to secure her position at Glenbogle.. Archie discovers what she has been doing and she admits that she loves him and doesnt want to leave but she also realises that there is no way she can stay now, after all she has done. Lexie pulls everyone together at the last moment and the bank are satisfied that the estate is running smoothly. Shamefaced, Stella leaves and Archie begins to realise how he really feels about Lexie. He proposes straight away and although Lexie hesitates to make the leap from cook to Lairds wife, he places a ring on her finger.

Poor Lexie finds herself feeling trapped. She is developing serious cold feet about her impending wedding and beginning to wonder if Hectors predictions of doom might just come true. Archie however is determined to carry on witht the wedding plans and he muddles through his fathers funeral as best he can but is haunted by the knowledge that he lost his father while the two of them were not speaking. Hector however appears to him in a dream and gives his blessing to the marriage and although this makes Archie feel much better, Lexie takes to her heels and heads back to Glasgow. Archie is quickly in pursuit and ends up declaring his undying love for Lexie in front of a bus load of people.

The day of the opening of the Glenbogle Wildlife Centre arrives, with nothing but trouble. A new employee, Esme, sabotages the signs and an enemy of Mollys decides wether the Centre will open or not. Meanwhile, Golly is fighting for Irenes affections with Duncan.

David Fraser, an old friend of the MacDonalds, mainly Jamies turns up with his freind Jonathon. Lexie takes a disliking to him, as he makes a pass at her. Archie thinks he is the same person as when they were younger, but only Lexie can see what he really is. She confronts Archie, who then has a fight with David, and he is thrown out of Glenbogle. Meanwhile Molly is harbouring a wolf runt (called Hector) so he wont be killed.

With Golly gone, Archie is lost without him. Lexie though locates him and gives him food and supplies. Golly comes out of hiding though when a school boy from a party goes missing and Golly finds him. Meanwhile Molly and Irene go to an art exhibition to impress on a dealer who has been to see her. Irene though spots someone she once knew, which starts to tell the truth of why she escaped to Glenbogle. Golly returns in the end when Archie finds some money for a procedure to save his eyesight.

Archie decides he has no work to do and so starts to decorate a room for the nursery. Lexie and Auntie Liz are trying to find the ghost of a late MacDonald. Andrew a sculptor arrives in Glenbogle as a new neighbour, and does not get off to a good start with Molly. The ghost is found out to be a private detective trying to find Irene sent by her jilted boyfriend. She leaves and Duncan is heartbroken

Molly now knows the truth about Paul and decides to leave with Andrew Booth. Archie does not want Paul around anymore and Lexie must try to smooth things out. Molly asks Golly why he never told her the truth about Hector and Pauls mother and Archie is feeling guilt over his older brothers,(Jamie),death. His feelings of guilt go away a little bit as he saves Paul from drowning in the current. Molly looks within herself and decides to stay and Archie and Lexie finally get their honeymoon,thanks to Kilwillie!

While repairs are being done in the cellar, the family is living in Duncans B&B. Paul returns to Glenbogle, stirring unwanted feelings within Molly.

Golly gets an unexpected surprise when his daughter Jess shows up and Duncan travels to Glasgow for a job interview. Meanwhile, Paul takes on new responsibilities by trying to reform the local football team.

Archies elder sister Lizzie turns up with a life changing proposition for him and Andrew has his own proposition with Molly. At the same time, Archie and Paul continue to battle over joint control of the estate.

Hermione returns to Glenbogle and begins to stalk Duncan with dark intentions. Meanwhile, Dorothy seizes control over a small fishing island and gets Ewan fired from the local pub.

Lexie gets an unexpected and unwelcome surprise when her father shows up at Glenbogle. Father-daughter relations are strained between Golly and Jess as well, and Paul learns of a secret that Amandas been hiding.

Its a new era at Glenbogle and Paul is the new laird. Despite his best interests, his attitudes towards the highland traditions are starting to bother the family. Meanwhile, Lexie returns briefly from New Zealand causing Paul to become a little suspicious.

Its the day after Paul and Lexies kiss and while Paul is eager to discuss it, Lexie wants to forget it and decides to leave to New Zealand immediately. But slowly she begins to think that leaving her home that is Glenbogle might not be what she really wants. Then, the secret that is the cause of Mollys hatred towards Donald is revealed.

Alex has decided that the estate is not being run with a firm enough hand and takes it upon himself to bring his military organization to the Glenbogle household but it isnt long before everyone becomes annoyed with Alex. Meanwhile, while Molly is away, Golly strikes up a new friendship with a local dance teacher named Meg.

While Golly is away on holiday with Meg, Jess takes over as ghillie. Her skills are put to the test right away when poachers invade the estate. Meanwhile, Paul and Isabel join their new neighbor Lucy at a cocktail party and Paul and Lucy share an intimate moment spotted by Isabel.

Ewan is shocked when he finds his dad with another woman and learns that his parents are planning on separating. Meanwhile, Lucys parents are coming over to meet Paul and begin to hint about the possibility of a future wedding.

Ever since Meg passed away, Golly has been taking care of baby Cameron as a single parent, with the help of his daughter, Jess. Meanwhile, as spring returns to Glenbogle, the list of repairs to be done is endless and Paul finds himself face to face with a feisty young shepherdess named Iona.

Paul launches his new idea of turning Glenbogle into a luxury retreat when a wealthy couple come to stay at the house. But when Golly has a back injury and Molly rushes to his aid, Paul finds himself short staffed and strapped for cash.

Iona is stunned when her former fiancé, Malcolm McRae, comes to Glenbogle to help save the estates forest from a spreading fungi. The surprise forces Paul to consider his true feelings for Iona while attempting to heal the damage in the woods. Meanwhile, Jess competes in the local Ghillies challenge, as the only woman, with all odds stacked against her.