The Monarch of the Glen cast is a list of actors who portrayed characters in the BBC Scotland comedy drama, Monarch of the Glen. The show began in 2000 with Alastair Mackenzie as the lead character portraying Archie MacDonald, a young restaurateur who returns to his Highland home of Glenbogle to discover that he is the new Laird. Along with Mackenzie, television veterans, Richard Briers and Susan Hampshire received star billing as Archie's eccentric parents, Hector and Molly. Lorraine Pilkington portrayed Archie's love interest, Katrina, who was the only other actor to receive star billing in season one. In season two, Dawn Steele, Alexander Morton and Hamish Clark were bumped up to star status having been supporting regulars in the first season. Briers and Pilkington left the show in season three, prompting Julian Fellowes to receive star billing having appeared as recurring guest in seasons one to four. In season five, Fellowes and Mackenzie left the show, with Lloyd Owen filling the void as Archie's estranged half-brother, Paul. Season six saw a big change in the cast with Steele and Clark leaving and season five regulars, Rae Hendrie and Martin Compston being promoted to star status. Simone Lahbib and Tom Baker also joined the series six cast as Paul's love interest and Hector's younger brother, respectively. Lahbib left the show the following season due to pregnancy and Kirsty Mitchell was brought in as Paul's new love interest. Kellyanne Farquhar was the final actor to gain star billing, joining the cast as Paul's wayward god-daughter. The show ended in 2005 with special guest appearances by Briers, Clark and Fellowes. Morton was the only cast member to appear in every episode, with Hampshire and Clark the only other two actors to appear in every season. <noinclude><blockquote class="toccolours" style="text-align:justify; width:60%; float:right; padding: 10px 15px 10px 15px; display:table;"> Key Only characters who appeared in three episodes or more are listed. Characters are ordered in each section by first appearance in the show. The Hogmanay Special in December 2003 is counted as a series five episode. A white cell (such as the one for the character Molly MacDonald) indicates the character was given a star status in the relevant season(s). A light grey cell (such as the one for the character Hector MacDonald in the Season 7 column) indicates that the character did not receive star billing that season(s). A dark grey cell (such as