A new documentary is to look at what makes The Ideal Scotsman.
In this new documentary, writer and cook Rachel McCormack takes a trip into the psyche of the Scottish male and poses the question ‘what makes the ideal Scotsman these days?’
Along the way, she explores the changing face of Scottish masculinity, as the male image changes from that of legendary ‘hard man’ to a softer, gentler 21st century Scotsman.
Says Rachel: ‘For all the changes we’ve embraced in the last few decades, I think Scottish culture is still hugely dominated by its men.
‘But I also think we don’t really discuss what it’s like to be a man in Scotland today.’
Rachel delves into the historical self-image of the typical Scotsman, and calls as witnesses a varied tribe including historian Alison Cathcart, actors Sanjeev Kohli and Iain Robertson, writers Gerry Hassan, Chris McQueer and James Robertson, ballet dancer Chris Harrison and others from the world of music and industry.
Rachel McCormack on the River City set with Sanjeev Kohli (Photo: BBC Scotland)
She pulls together the case for the modern Scotsman, typified by tennis hero Andy Murray, in an entertaining discourse that cites key moments in Scottish culture.
It is a tongue-in-cheek tour, starting with the Highland Chiefs, and going onto the Enlightenment, and via Robert Burns onto modern-day depictions of Scotsman from Rab C Nesbitt to Begbie, with a foray into Scotsmen’s obsession with football.
The Ideal Scotsman is a TVI Vision production for BBC Scotland and is part of the Modern Lives strand. It will be shown on Tuesday, 26 November, on BBC Scotland, from 10-11pm.
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