When DCI Ahmed Halim (Sagar Radia) asks newly qualified family liaison officer Kat Crichton (Sorcha Groundsell) whether there might be any conflicts of interest before they fly to the Isle of Harris to investigate a murder, she pauses just enough to let us know that YES there will be a MASSIVE conflict of interest if she works the case. But still, she hops into the vomit-inducing helicopter all the same, and off they go.
An t-Eilean – Scottish Gaelic for ‘The Island’ – is available to stream on iPlayer, and now it’s going to find a wider viewership on BBC Four from 9pm on Saturday 15 February and on BBC Alba at 9pm on Friday 14 February. Partly in English but mainly in Gaelic, the show really does have a toe-curling set-up for anyone hung up on police procedure. You’ll very soon discover that Kat Crichton isn’t our protagonist’s real name, and she has a deep connection to the family of the murdered woman – Lady Mary Maclean. Normally this would rule an officer out of an investigation, yet maybe, just maybe, her knowledge and insight could be an advantage to the police.
Watch the opening sequence:
The murder occurs in the early scenes, though all we witness is a gunshot from a window high in the Maclean castle – a huge manor that overlooks the wild seas that buffet and batter the Outer Hebrides. Sir Douglas Maclean, a self-made millionaire, has been shot as well but survives. As he recovers in hospital, the four Maclean heirs are summoned back to the old pile. There’s Eilidh (Sinead MacInnes), who comes all the way from Paris; Calum (Andrew MacInnes), who lives locally but takes a curious route back to the house; Ruaraidh (Sam James Smith), out hunting with a high-powered rifle; and Síne (Meredith Brook Young), instantly at the scene and the daughter apparently most troubled by the killing.
Each will be questioned by the police, and each seems to be concealing something, but as the series begins we’re closest to Kat Crichton, who has plenty to hide – including her past life on Harris, her family’s history, her connections with the Maclean family and her reasons for leaving. There’s a taste of this early on in remarks by a local plod who recognises her. Yet, perhaps it’s unfinished business that has drawn Kat back to Harris – a chance to exorcise some ghosts from her life as well as to prove herself as polis.
The first question is, how long will she be able to hide her past from DCI Halim? The second is how effective will she be in helping to solve the murder?
One line of enquiry focuses on the recovering laird, Sir Douglas. He’s ruthlessly amassed his fortune – could he have had reason to kill his wife, or was he the target of a revenge attack? Calum’s alibi looks shaky, and as investigations widen clues turn up at a shieling – an ancient herder’s hut – on the estate. Why has someone burned Lady Mary’s diaries? While her boss has one theory, Kat’s in-depth knowledge of the family leads her to form another and, while there is loyalty between the Maclean children and their father, perhaps this can be tested, or perhaps one of them has been working against him.
For us, An t-Eilean represents a welcome addition to crime drama delivered in the ancient Celtic languages of the Britain and Ireland, and now and again the vibe is similar to the popular TV series Shetland. Similar in quality to the Irish Gaelic crime show Crá, An t-Eilean doesn’t quite match the production values of the Welsh language crime dramas Hinterland and Hidden. The programme reputedly cost £1 million per episode – a big budget for a Gaelic production, but very little compared to what HBO or Netflix might typically spend.
The cinematography certainly helps to generate atmosphere – emphasising the vast, remote, abandoned feel of the landscape. Ancient, well-weathered rock formations erupt towards the coast, as if flowing away from the gorse and heather that covers hillsides parted by treacherous, single lane tracks. Now and again, a majestic stag looks on as the police criss-cross the countryside seeking witnesses and culprits.
While some conversations slip into English, much of what matters is said in Gaelic and – as with other Celtic language crime shows – you may well imagine that this suits the setting. Fortunately for English speakers, the four 50-minute episodes include subtitles. It is written by Nicholas Osborne and Patsi Mackenzie, and directed by Tom Sullivan.
One last thing: watch for Colin McCredie from Taggart in the role of PC Alan Irons.
