Men in Kilts is a project three decades in the making. The new Starz series, which follows Outlander actors Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish as they drive across Scotland, highlighting the country’s history, culture, and traditions, was filmed just last year, but the idea has roots back in the ’90s, when McTavish began dreaming up a book about his home. “I'd written an outline for something called Clanlands about 30 years ago,” he tells me over Zoom.
As it turns out, his on-screen nephew had interest in creating something about Scotland as well. (For the unfamiliar, the actors both played Highland warriors in the early seasons of Outlander. Heughan, one of the show’s leads, still plays Jamie Fraser; McTavish’s character, Fraser’s uncle, War Chieftain Dougal Mackenzie, met his demise in season two.)
So they got together in California to talk it out over beers. At first, Heughan suggested they make a podcast. “I pretended that I knew what that was,” McTavish deadpans. Then, Heughan brought up the option of using GoPros to film it themselves. “I couldn't work out how we'd do it,” McTavish says. “Like two days later he said, ‘Hey, why don't we just do it with a full crew?’ And within six months, we were out on the road. So it was quite quick really, apart from the 30-year-gap.” They also started writing a book about the experience, now a New York Times-bestseller, and used McTavish’s original title: Clanlands.
Some might consider putting out a travel show in the middle of a pandemic a risky move—but Heughan and McTavish, weren’t worried.
“Hopefully it will help,” McTavish says. To him, the show offers its viewers an escape, albeit a brief one, from the ongoing global crisis. And the show is an escape. It’s filled with gorgeous sweeping shots of the Scottish landscape, and bite-sized history lessons. The episodes are also peppered with pranks and wagers and good-natured teasing; Heughan and McTavish share a “childish sense of humor”—McTavish’s words, not mine—which adds a real levity to the show.
“It's called Men in Kilts. But really, it should be titled, ‘Ways of Winding up Graham,’” says Heughan. “One of my greatest pleasures in life is to put him in a precarious situation and then see him lose his temper or bluster or squawk or just generally, be grumpy. And it's wonderful.”
There is little, if any, mention of Covid-19, at least in the early episodes which I was able to preview ahead of this interview, and nary a mask in sight. But that isn’t to say the pandemic had no impact on the series. At least a portion of it was filmed during a brief respite from lockdown in the UK, with the team following strict health and safety protocols. “We filmed the first road trip, so to speak, during [Outlander] season 4 over a number of weekends. We then pitched it and amazingly, Starz picked it up. And then, we came back and we shot the remaining material just after the first lockdown,” Heughan says. “So we were really lucky with the timing. Things just opened up in Scotland. And we were one of the first productions to actually shoot in the UK or in Scotland. So we're very lucky to navigate through all of that.”
On its face, Men in Kilts follows a fairly conventional travel show format. Each 30-minute episode zeroes in on a specific element of Scottish culture—think: “food and drink,” “sports,” or “song and dance,” and features the hosts (that’s Heughan and McTavish) meeting up with experts and locals, trying their hands at everything from fishing for langoustines to properly executing a sword dance, and bantering as they drive from location to location in a tricked out camper van. “Our original camper van was called the Sassenach, actually. And it, unfortunately, didn't survive. It did break down. We had to get a brand new one, and I kitted it out to make it feel very comfortable for Graham. I tried to include as much Scottish memorabilia in there for him to feel at home,” Heughan says. “You'll see glimpses of it throughout the show. It's our little traveling home and maybe a little too small for two grown men.”
But the show also comes with a built-in audience, and one that it plays heavily to. Episodes often cut away to clips from Outlander, and make reference to the show’s storylines. And of course, there’s the focus on Heughan and McTavish, and their friendship, which started on set. It’s a strategic move by Starz, considering how enthusiastic the fandom can be. Men in Kilts also serves as a perfect remedy for “Droughtlander,” the portmanteau those fans assigned to the seemingly never-ending period between seasons of Outlander. And, it’s an easier, and presumably more budget-friendly, way of extending the Outlander universe than, say, a highly produced scripted prequel or spin-off show.
Plus, Outlander enthusiasts have been flocking to Scotland for years, specifically seeking out the landmarks they’ve seen on screen. The travel angle just makes sense.
“From recent research, we know that one in five people visit Scotland having seen the locations on film or TV—and a high number of those visitors cite Outlander as the inspiration behind their trip,” explains Jenni Steele, Film & Creative Industries Manager at VisitScotland. “As we know, the next season of Outlander is some way off, so it’s great that Men In Kilts will go some way to help ease ‘Droughtlander’ for so many fans.”
For those who haven’t seen the show though, the clips and call backs aren’t the main draw. Heughan “thinks there's a lot for anyone who doesn't know Outlander, the TV show.” Namely, a chance to explore a new culture without leaving the living room.
“As Scotsman, we wanted to do this country justice. And we can only go so far in each episode. They are quite short episodes, only half an hour, so we really feel like we only scratched the surface,” he says. “But hopefully, we give enough of a taste.”
Men in Kilts airs Sunday nights on Starz.
As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects
