A SPECIAL documentary will air to celebrate 40 years since Scottish soap Take the High Road first appeared on our TV screens. 

Scotland Loves High Road will celebrate the STV soap which helped hone the careers of some of the country's biggest actors including Alan Cumming, James Cosmo, Joe McFadden, Natalie Robb, John Stahl, Eileen McCallum, and Alex Monteath. 

The show, which will air on Wednesday at 8 pm, features broadcaster Emma Cameron taking viewers back to Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond - which starred as the fictional village of Glendarroch.

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Glasgow Times:

In the 30-minute documentary, Emma examines the huge impact Take the High Road had in Scotland and around the world, through interviews with some of its biggest stars.

Alan Cumming, who went on to star in The Good Wife, Spy Kids, and X-Men 2, said: “It was like being in a Hollywood film! I love the fact that I’ve been in Take the High Road – I had a really great laugh doing it. At the time I felt lucky to be in it and now I feel even luckier. It’s great to be part of a legacy like that.”

Scotland Loves High Road also features never-before-seen outtakes from STV’s archives and revisits the passionate 1993 fan campaign which saw hundreds of people descend on Glasgow’s George Square to demand a reversal of ITV’s decision to axe the soap.

The fans’ efforts paid off – and High Road remained on screens in Scotland for a further 10 years before TV icon Mrs Mack finally hung up her hat and the show was retired in 2003.

STV said the show’s recent return to the STV Player has introduced it to a new generation and contributed to a 70 percent rise in viewing figures for the platform so far this year.

Glasgow Times:

Emma Cameron 

Glasgow Times:

Gwyneth Guthrie, who played Mrs Mack from 1982 to 2003, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my years on High Road. I worked with an array of talented actors and had wonderful storylines. The programme showed Scotland in a great light – there’s no doubt the natural Scottish scenery sold itself!

“I wouldn’t have said Mrs Mack was a loveable character but she was unique. People I met loved to talk about Mrs Mack and what she was up to – I suppose we all know someone a bit like her.”