A centuries-old Highland tale of forbidden love, warfare and a legendary curse will be brought under a modern spotlight when true crime style investigation meets medieval mystery.
In this final episode of Legend of the Highland Skull, the Grant lad hatches another surprise attack on the very people he now rules over and the legend comes to a tragic end. Storyteller Isobella Hubbard reveals how the story is linked to the hinged skull. Dan Cottam finally hears the results of the radio carbon dating analysis of the skull and whether the skull is indeed medieval. The University of Edinburgh archeologist Dr Sam Leggett shares her theories on the staining and about t...
18 Sept 2026
Episode 3 - The Attack
Episode 3 -The Attack The Grant lad and his clansmen plan an attack on the Comyn of Freuchie and Dan explains the power and influence of the Comyn clan in medieval Scotland. Cat Irving from the Surgeons’ Hall Edinburgh examines the skull to assess the health and diet of the person and to look for any obvious trauma. Could this person have died from a blow to the head in battle? A contender for the skull emerges, following the attack on the Comyn of Freuchie’s stronghold. Bio...
11 Sept 2026
Episode 2 - The Parley
Grantown Museum curator Dan Cottam continues his search to find out if the skull in the handed down through generations of Grants is the one in the legend committed to paper in 1857. While the medieval legend that surrounds it edges closer to bloodshed, Dan explains the rise of the Grants as a clan from the 13th century onwards and examines the evidence for their possible origins. He also examines the facts behind the legend. Could it be a clever bit of propaganda for the clan? The Grant lad...
4 Sept 2026
Episode 1 - The Harrods Box
A skull in a Harrods food hall box, a 19th-century letter, and the start of a medieval love story that reshaped three Highland clans, the Grants, the MacGregors and the Comyns (later the Cummings). This is the start of a story of forensics, Scottish clans, morbid fascination, medieval life in the Scottish Highlands and an ancient curse. In this episode, Dan Cottam, curator of Grantown Museum, explains how he came to be holding a human head, a skull sawn cleanly across the forehead and f...
1 Sept 2026
Introducing: Legend of the Highland Skull
Let us tell you of a story that's been handed down through generations. One that connects the Clan Grant to their land and tells us of the beginning of a dynasty. A legend that begins as a love story and ends in bloody murder and fatal folly. And let us tell you of a gruesome memento, cursed to remain in the hands of the family who have ruled in Strathspey for hundreds of years. Join us as we breathe new life into this tale and discover wha...
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