SCOTS archaeologist and well known television broadcaster Dr Neil Oliver visited Dunnottar Castle with a BBC crew on Monday to film for a new history series.
Dr Oliver is probably best known for his work on the acclaimed BBC2 series "Coast".
He said : " We have been filming today at Dunnottar for the first part of our new ten part series History of Scotland . The first programme concentrates mainly on t
he Picts."
The new series, which is a co-production between the BBC and the Open University is being produced by Richard Downes, and the first five programmes will be shown nationwide from November. In the first five parts of the series it starts with a very brief look at prehistory Scotland, the Picts, the Romans and ends with Act of Union. The second half - a further five programmes - will be broadcast later next year, and will take its viewers post Act of Union through to Scotland in the present day.
The series' first programme Producer Andrew Thompson said : " At a time when Scotland and England were being formed as separate countries, Dunnottar Castle (Dun meaning hill fort) was the stronghold of Scotland's King Constantine II who reigned from 900 - 943 AD. The present Dunnottar Castle that you can see today would have been built on the same site of King Constantine's Pictish fort. This fort was attacked and besieged by the English, but succeeded in holding out against the invaders until stalemate was reached and the English abandoned the siege . Scotland's history would have been very different indeed had it not been for this extremely effective fortress of Dunnottar keeping the English out ."
BROADCASTER Dr Neil Oliver focused on Dunnottar's stormy Pictish past when he filmed there for his new BBC series "History of Scotland" this week.
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