For the first time, Scotland’s much-loved Highland hero and mischievous rogue Angus Òg will appear on screen in a brand-new documentary airing on BBC Alba at 9pm on New Year’s Day. Produced in collaboration with Caledonia TV, the programme explores the life, legacy, and lasting humour of cartoonist Ewen Bain and his iconic creation.
Blending original cartoons, actor voice performances, archival material, and interviews with fans and experts, the documentary vividly recreates the fictional island of Drambeg. Audiences will revisit Angus Òg’s memorable escapades and rediscover Bain’s sharp, witty satire that delighted readers of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail for nearly 30 years.
We are delighted to be the custodians of the Ewen Bain Angus Òg Cartoon Collection and to have been able to work with Caledonia TV to bring some of Ewen Bain’s best work to life
Archivist
At the heart of the documentary lies the Ewen Bain Angus Òg Cartoon Collection, housed at High Life Highland’s Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre in Portree. This remarkable archive includes thousands of original drawings, sketchbooks, storyboards, newspaper clippings, and other artefacts spanning Bain’s prolific career.
Archivist Catherine MacPhee said: “We are delighted to be the custodians of the Ewen Bain Angus Òg Cartoon Collection and to have been able to work with Caledonia TV to bring some of Ewen Bain’s best work to life, along with the tales and stories behind the comic strips, has been a huge privilege for us.”
Though best known for Angus Òg, Bain also created numerous single-panel cartoons for newspapers and magazines, as well as an earlier comic series, “The Bleeps,” published in the late 1950s.
Angus Òg from the Utter Hebrides
The documentary also reflects on Bain’s life and artistic journey. From his childhood in Maryhill to idyllic summers in Skye, wartime service in the Royal Navy, and his rise as one of Scotland’s most distinctive cartoonists.
Angus Òg, the wily islander from the Utter Hebrides, became a beloved staple of Scottish culture throughout the latter 20th century. Ewen Bain used Angus — his self-described “teuchter stereotype” — to tackle contemporary issues with warmth and comic bite. Themes such as community, the environment, tourism, social inequality, language, culture, and identity remain as relevant today as when they first appeared in the 1960s.
Few public figures escaped Bain’s satirical eye: Margaret Thatcher, the Royal Family, Billy Connolly, Rod Stewart, Lairds, clergy, and would-be Gaels all found their way into Angus’s world.
The programme features insights from a wide range of contributors, including broadcasters John Morrison and Cathy Macdonald; television producer Tony Kearney; John Smith, director of the children’s series Bzzz which showcased Ewen Bain’s work; actor Dolina Maclennan; artist and curator Calum ‘Malkie’ Maclean; singer Alasdair Gillies; Rhona Flin, daughter of Ewen Bain; artist Ann Macleod, known for creating new cartoons inspired by Bain’s life; writer Alan Bissett; and Katharine MacFarlane, with narration and the voice of Angus Òg provided by Alec ‘Valtos’ Macdonald.
