Donald Mackinnon (Bill Simpson) is a veterinarian in the small Argyll community of Inverglen, where he runs the local practice with his daughter Katherine (Sandra Clark). In addition to his veterinary duties, Donald is a respected member of the district council and serves as the chairman of its planning committee. His life is further complicated by his widowed American sister-in-law, Margaret (Mikel Lambert), who now owns the family farm. The series follows Donald’s efforts to balance the demands of his profession, his civic responsibilities, and his family life.
This production was conceived as a spiritual successor to the hugely popular Dr Finlay’s Casebook, reuniting star Bill Simpson with the BBC for another series centred on a professional in a rural Scottish setting. Gerard Glaister, known for producing primetime serials, handled the first two episodes before Michael Chapman took over for the remainder of the run. While it aimed to capture the appeal of its medical predecessor by shifting the focus from human to animal patients, the series did not achieve the same level of longevity and concluded after a single season.
Broadcast: BBC One, 13 Episodes, Mondays, 2 May – 1 August 1977
Written by: Wilfred Greatorex, N. J. Crisp, Kenneth Clark, David Fisher, Lindsay Galloway, Robert Barr, Murray Smith
Producers: Gerard Glaister, Michael Chapman
Main Cast: Bill Simpson (Donald Mackinnon), Mikel Lambert (Margaret), Sandra Clark (Katherine Mackinnon), Patrick Barr (Neil Turner), William Wilde (Ian Turner), Robert James (James Pringle)
