Gregor Fisher plays James
Stewart
"I'm desperate to be hung. I've been in the business nigh on 30
years and I've never been hung. I want to feel the noose around my neck."
- Gregor Fisher
Well known actor Gregor Fisher plays the role of James of the Glens,
the Highland leader who has put his rebellious ideals to one side in
order to ensure the survival of his people.
The pragmatic Stewart is a contrast to the glamour of Alan Breck's
eternal rebel and opens Davie Balfour's eyes to the reality of Highland
life under English oppression.
Fisher is keenly aware of the historical basis of Kidnapped and its
on-going relevance:
"This is a story but it's based on real events. This is a time
when the English tried to erase Highland culture and Highland life.
"The Jacobite uprising draws strong parallels with the Irish and
their struggle for independence.
"You weren't allowed to play bagpipes. You weren't allowed to
wear Highland dress. It was a pretty oppressive time and some pretty
stark choices had to be made. It was a long, long period of oppression."
Stewart's belief that his people can live in peace under the English
regime is shattered when he is arrested and sentenced to death - unless
Alan Breck gives himself up. It's a harsh lesson in reality for Alan's
rebels:
"Historically it was a very hellish time and old James is right in
the middle of it trying to make the right decision."
When he accepted the role, Fisher knew the story of Kidnapped but hadn't
read the novel:
"I was familiar with [Kidnapped] because as a young boy I saw a film
of it. That was my only brush with Robert Louis Stevenson."
And he has no doubt of the programme's entertainment value:
"It's a good comfortable chair, 'don't-interrupt-me-I'm-watching-Kidnapped'
kind of programme."
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