charliekane

In case you missed it, the BBC had the first of a three-part series on St Kilda on Thursday night at 9 o'clock.

Although they failed to mention it, this was the island that inspired Michael Powell to make The Edge of The World in 1936 after he had seen a newpaper report and later a newsreel documenting the evacuation of the islands far off in the Hebrides.

Powell was unable to use St Kilda for his story, as it was by then an important bird sanctuary (which it remains to this day), so filmed on the island of Foula, even further from the mainland and renamed 'Hirta' in the film.

This BBC series is more concerned with the birds found around the islands, though with plenty of history of who lived there, when and how they survived - the remains of their houses still stand eerily mapping the original 'streets' of the community, and there are several stories and features that echo precisley what Mickey fed into his own story - the home made mail boats, men climbing the cliff faces to prove themselves worthy suitors for the girls of the island, the isolation from the mainland.

As they keep reminding us, this first programme is on the BBC i-player until next Thursday, when episode two appears - a fascinating programme, and what I would give to spend one night there - provided I knew I could get back !!