In 1314, the Scots finally defeated their English oppressors at the Battle of Bannockburn. This monumental victory that should have ensured Scottish freedom – but it didn’t. Even after Bannockburn, Scotland’s king Robert Bruce and his brother Edward remained uneasy about the threat of a renewed English invasion. The best form of defense was attack. In a real-life “Game of Thrones”, they decided to invade Ireland and make Edward high king there. In this way they would unite the Celtic nations and drive the hated English back to their homeland. Now for the first time, these dramatic events will be explored onscreen in a 2 x 1 hour docudrama series narrated by leading actor Brian Cox (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Bourne Supremacy). The series features extensive drama re-enactments starring Clive Russell (Game of Thrones, Ripper Street) as Robert Bruce, Douglas Russell (Let Us Prey, Valhalla Rising) as Edward Bruce, and Stuart McKinnon as the Scottish soldier Maon. Atmospheric dramatic sequences and visceral battle scenes are combined with stunning locations and innovative CGI to bring the harsh and violent medieval world to life. This is a story of two Celtic nations, a shared heritage and a forgotten war that could have changed the course of history.

The series is being made for RTÉ, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland under a joint initiative launched in 2012 to fund television programmes of interest to viewers in all three territories. The series is also funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Sound & Vision II Funding Scheme. A co-production between Ireland’s Tile Films and Scotland’s Caledonia TV, it will be broadcast to coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Bruce Invasion in 2015. The series is produced by multi award winning producer Stephen Rooke (Saving the Titanic, Waterways) and directed by multi IFTA winner Maurice Sweeney (Saving the Titanic, Cromwell in Ireland). ‘This was a great opportunity to bring the medieval world to life, and tell one of the untold stories of Irish and Scottish history,’ Stephen Rooke said. ‘Not many people know that the Scots once invaded Ireland. And even fewer are aware that the last high king of Ireland was a Scotsman.’