0:00:03 > 0:00:06It's 100 years since the Russian Revolution...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..and it all started here.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13And it cut off Russia from the world for nearly 70 years.
0:00:15 > 0:00:22But new DNA evidence suggests that 1 in every 600 Russians
0:00:22 > 0:00:24has Scottish ancestry.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I'm discovering Scots
0:00:26 > 0:00:29who made a massive impact on Russia's history.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Some made the former Empire their home,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and others fought and died there.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43From those who helped to establish Russian football...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..to those, like me, who came to Russia
0:00:47 > 0:00:49at a crucial time in their life.
0:00:49 > 0:00:56They found Russia beautiful, captivating and quite exasperating.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03This is from Scotland to Russia, with love.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:01:07 > 0:01:15This programme contains some strong language.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I first went to Russia 30 years ago
0:01:21 > 0:01:26to teach a series of Shakespeare workshops to young Russian actors.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31It was my first experience of Russia and of being in a documentary.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34You have to really keep this text,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36it's tricky, but it's...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40I'm now going back to find out about other Scots
0:01:40 > 0:01:43who came to Russia and made the Empire their own.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Our journey starts here, in Leuchars, Fife,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50with an intriguing link between Russia
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and one of Scotland's most-respected regiments,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02This regiment is about as Scottish as they come.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But they have Russia in their hearts.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15In 1894, he was given the honorary title
0:02:15 > 0:02:19of the regiment's first-ever Colonel in Chief.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22What we've got here is a troop
0:02:22 > 0:02:26in what we would call, and in the Tsar's day...
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Taking up the story is commanding officer
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Coombes.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So, we're in Fife and very happy to be here.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And, of course, we're talking about our relationship
0:02:37 > 0:02:39with Tsar Nicholas and with Russia.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42We wear these grey berets
0:02:42 > 0:02:45which are the mark of the Scots Greys.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46And the cap badge.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48There's a black backing to it.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49Yeah, I see that, yeah.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52And common folklore and the internet
0:02:52 > 0:02:54will tell you that we wear this in mourning for the Tsar.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The reality is, we've worked out,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00actually, it was the black backing to put the silver badge,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- to show it off better against the grey beret.- Right.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08But the regiment's historical link with the Tsar is very real.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Corporal Bell here is holding this icon.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13It's of Tsar Nicholas II.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- So, when Tsar Nicholas...- May I? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21This icon was a gift from the people of Russia.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Many in the regiment believe it gives them good luck.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's been to Kosovo, it's been to Iraq twice,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32it's been to Afghanistan twice, and anywhere we go in the future,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35whenever we go on operations, that comes with us
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and goes and sits next to me, wherever I am.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Even if you're on the front line?
0:03:39 > 0:03:43- Yeah, anywhere.- That's pretty impressive.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45In Afghanistan, it went in various vehicles.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47So, yeah, it's travelled.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- So, we take it with us everywhere. - I love that.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- It's great, isn't it?- Yeah, it's tremendous.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55We look after it.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- We cherish it.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I think it's a great link.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00And now it's in Fife.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03And now it's in Fife. In Leuchars, yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Very proud to have it here. - Yeah, great.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Nicholas II was the last of the three-century-old Romanov dynasty.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33That the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards carry this piece of history
0:04:33 > 0:04:35wherever they go is truly amazing.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39But first, we have to find out where it started.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Helping me understand the Russian connection
0:04:51 > 0:04:52is Brigadier Mel Jameson,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56chairman of the Scots Dragoon Guards Museum Trust.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58What's the uniform he is wearing here?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- That's the Scots Greys uniform. - That is the Scots Greys uniform.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02Full dress of the Scots Greys.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07- This is the Tsar?- This is the Tsar again, on his royal yacht, Standart.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12And the band played, the Scots Rose band played on the yacht for him.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13I love this picture.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And I love this torch that has somehow gone down with it.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20That picture still hangs in Buckingham Palace,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25and Queen Victoria was so fond of her great-granddaughter, Alexei,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28that she turned out at the front door to meet her,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30and, as she called him, Nicky.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37In 1896, the Tsar and his wife, Alexei,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39granddaughter to Queen Victoria,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41visited Balmoral.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44This rare footage captures that moment.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The royal couple had been married two years,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53a fairy-tale romance that Queen Victoria believed
0:05:53 > 0:05:57would help create peace within Europe.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Tsar Nicholas,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Tsarevich Nicholas, actually, came over
0:06:01 > 0:06:05because Queen Victoria had a review of her troops at Aldershot
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and riding past one of the regimens was the Royal Scots Greys,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and he said to Queen Victoria, seeing all these grey horses
0:06:12 > 0:06:15and scarlet tunics, "What a beautiful regiment."
0:06:15 > 0:06:16Then there was a pause,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18he got married the same year,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and Queen Victoria made him Colonel in Chief,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25probably one of the first foreign monarchs
0:06:25 > 0:06:27to be made Colonel in Chief of a British regiment.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Was that like a wedding present?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Indeed. That's the way I look at it, as a wedding present.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34GUN FIRES
0:06:34 > 0:06:3820 years later, Europe was in the grips of World War I.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47In Russia, Tsar Nicholas II had been forced to abdicate,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50after losing the support of his battle-weary army.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54When the Bolsheviks took over in 1917,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Nicholas and his family were imprisoned.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01A year later, an order, almost certainly from Lenin,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03was given to execute the royal family.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Tsar Nicholas, his wife Alexei,
0:07:08 > 0:07:13five children and four servants were taken down to the cellar and shot.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18The regiment must have been, then,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20incredibly affected by the assassination
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and what eventually happened to him.
0:07:22 > 0:07:28Yes, the tragic death of the Tsar in 1918, from that moment on,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31the one thing that happened and still happens today,
0:07:31 > 0:07:37is that when we have a formal dinner in the officers' mess, we will play,
0:07:37 > 0:07:42before the loyal toast and the National Anthem, God Save The Queen,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45we will play the Imperial Anthem of Russia,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47one verse, in memory of the Tsar.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50MUSIC: Imperial Anthem of Russia by Alexie Lvov
0:07:54 > 0:07:56It's done with us sitting down,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58as we sit for the national anthem as well,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00strangely, sitting at attention,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02remembering the Tsar for that period of time,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and we take it very seriously.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08As you can imagine, the occasional dinner got a bit rowdy,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10rolls being thrown.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And there was never any damage to the Tsar.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20The regiment has one more magnificent reminder of the Tsar,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22their murdered Colonel in Chief.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25He's very like King George V.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27They were so alike, weren't they?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- So alike.- Yeah, incredibly alike.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33King George V and him, they could have been twins.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35He had these eyes, these amazingly blue eyes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41I always felt with Nicholas II, he had tragedy written all over him.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44But he's well remembered and revered in the regiment
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and part of our wonderful history.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50So, we have had everybody come and have a look at it,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Sotheby's and Christie's, and everybody is fascinated.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54It's probably worth a few shillings.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56A few bob, yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03We Scots certainly love...
0:09:04 > 0:09:08..lost causes, and there's nothing more romantic or tragic
0:09:08 > 0:09:12than the demise of the Russian Imperial family.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18But there are many other links between Russia and us Scots.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Welcome to Russia.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Where I'm standing is arguably
0:09:30 > 0:09:33the heart and soul of this great country,
0:09:33 > 0:09:39and there is no better location to show Russia's turbulent past,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41then here, in this very spot.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Krasnaya Ploschad, Red Square.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47In the 15th century,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Red Square was little more than a shanty town of wooden huts
0:09:50 > 0:09:54housing criminals, pedlars and drunks.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Now, from the iconic Saint Basil's Cathedral
0:09:57 > 0:09:59to the Kremlin,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01where leaders since Ivan the Terrible have ruled,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05it's a tourist destination and the historic centre of Moscow.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11But if you know where to look,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15you will find the presence of we Scots everywhere.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20The original clock in the Spasskaya Bashnya
0:10:20 > 0:10:23was built by a Scot, Christopher Galloway,
0:10:23 > 0:10:24in 1624.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Beside this beautiful Orthodox church
0:10:29 > 0:10:32is the entrance to the grand Kremlin Palace.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35It's a place that strikes fear in many,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38but I have been given privileged access.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46Citadel of the Tsars, it was once the very centre of the Soviet Union.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49But even here, there is a mark of the Scots.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58We come through these pair of extraordinary - ooh!-
0:10:58 > 0:10:59gold doors.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Gold, real gold...
0:11:04 > 0:11:06..into St Alexander Room.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Unbelievable.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I don't think we've got anything to match this.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18It's hard to believe, but...
0:11:20 > 0:11:22..during the Soviet period,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26these rooms were treated in a utilitarian fashion.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30There'd be huge tables here and desks
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and lots of people buzzing around
0:11:33 > 0:11:38and meetings, trying to ignore this absolute spectacle...
0:11:39 > 0:11:40..pretend it wasn't here.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It must have been very, very distracting.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50It's a magnificent piece of work, absolutely magnificent.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56We come to the room...
0:11:58 > 0:12:00..of our mutual patron saint.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03And here we are.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07The St Andrew's Room.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11The throne room of the Tsars.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Gobsmackingly beautiful.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26No people, just me.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Incredible.
0:12:36 > 0:12:43If you look way up high, you can see a little St Andrew on his cross,
0:12:43 > 0:12:44the saltire.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48It's quite funny.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52He's wearing what can only be best described
0:12:52 > 0:12:55as a pair of wee white jockeys.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Good old St Andrew.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03The St Andrew's Hall is one of five massive chambers within the Kremlin.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08In 2012, it was chosen to host President Putin's inauguration.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12So, here we have the three thrones.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16The Tsar, his wife...
0:13:17 > 0:13:18..and his mother.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Very evocative...
0:13:24 > 0:13:28..in the midst of all this amazing splendour.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It's also such a strong reminder
0:13:30 > 0:13:32that St Andrew, he's all over the place.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37He's part of the Russian emblem,
0:13:37 > 0:13:38the two-headed eagle,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and there's St Andrew crucified in the middle...
0:13:43 > 0:13:45..and how
0:13:45 > 0:13:49much that saltire has come to mean to us...
0:13:50 > 0:13:52..so it's something we have in common.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Well, there's only so much gold a man fae Dundee can take.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01It's time to leave the big city of Moscow.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I'm now travelling back in time
0:14:13 > 0:14:15to the medieval town of Vyborg,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18close to the border of Finland.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28This re-enactment group come from all over Russia
0:14:28 > 0:14:33to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Gordon from Aberdeen.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34In the 1690s,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38this Scottish soldier was the highest-ranking general
0:14:38 > 0:14:39in the Russian army.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44They're led by Boris Migorsky.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I thought you behaved in a very commanding way just now.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Yes, see those stripes?- Yes. - It means I am a sergeant.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Ah, sergeant.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14For the last 14 years, Boris and his group
0:15:14 > 0:15:16have been researching Patrick Gordon's regiment.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18What are you going to show me?
0:15:18 > 0:15:25We will perform the drill manual of late 17th, early 18th century.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28With flintlock muskets, this is
0:15:28 > 0:15:32more or less what Patrick Gordon taught his troops.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35These roots lie in Patrick Gordon.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Yes. The words of command, all the motions,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41we can be sure that they are more or less authentic.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49In the middle of the 17th century,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Russia's army was largely made up of villagers,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54defending the motherland.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58In 1661...
0:16:00 > 0:16:03..Patrick Gordon began to professionalise the army.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11This drill is an example of the ones taught by Patrick Gordon.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31There's the sense of, you know, firing in volley.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32When 100 muskets fire...
0:16:33 > 0:16:36..it will look like everybody fired.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Yeah.- But when you look at individuals...
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Yeah.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Do you take them to task if they don't fire properly?
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Yeah, of course.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46THEY LAUGH
0:16:46 > 0:16:48What do you do?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- That's all I can do. - Wag your finger!
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- It's a habit.- Yeah.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06I want to find out more about Patrick Gordon,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and why he came to Russia in the first place.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15In Scotland, few have heard of him, yet, here, he's not just remembered,
0:17:15 > 0:17:16he's revered.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22How this man became like a father to the Tsar
0:17:22 > 0:17:26is as long and as deep as the Russian Metro itself.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Maybe he was in the right place at the right time.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It's a common sight.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39You'll see people touching the dog for good luck.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41And so they have a good day.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And you can see it's quite worn away here.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48In fact, that's what the metal would have been...
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Ah!
0:17:51 > 0:17:52See?
0:18:00 > 0:18:05To find out more, I'm going to meet Dr Dmitry Fedosov -
0:18:05 > 0:18:07a historian who has been researching Patrick Gordon
0:18:07 > 0:18:09for the last 20 years.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Patrick Gordon's diaries are here in the military archive
0:18:18 > 0:18:23of the Lefort Palace. He kept a detailed, vivid account of his life,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25even in the middle of battle.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28So, let me understand.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29There was this little boy from Aberdeen...
0:18:29 > 0:18:34- Yes.- ..who ends up going to Poland at the age of...
0:18:34 > 0:18:35At the age of 16.
0:18:35 > 0:18:4016? And the idea was to send a son to Poland.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Yes, but the thing is, as he himself writes,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47he was a younger son of a younger brother, of a younger house.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52So he had nothing to hope for in terms of inheritance back home.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56And as so many other Scots, all over the world,
0:18:56 > 0:19:02he just followed the track of wonder in Europe, to seek employment.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Military employment. You'll see,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06as he puts it in this very first volume here.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11The explanation for his leaving the country, is...
0:19:14 > 0:19:18..here. "I resolved, I say, to go to some foreign country,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22"not caring much on what pretence, or to which country I should go,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25"seeing I had no known friend in any foreign place."
0:19:27 > 0:19:28That's fascinating.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Patrick Gordon was fighting for the Polish Army
0:19:33 > 0:19:36when he was captured by the Russians.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38But luck was on his side.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41One of his captors was a fellow Scot.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44So there were these bunch of Scots lads, they said,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46"Listen, you've got to come and join us."
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Yes. This is exactly what happened.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51"You know, you're going to be among your own kind."
0:19:51 > 0:19:53So he was quite critical, wasn't he, of the Russians?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Initially. Let's see if I can...
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I love the way you know these books, seemingly by heart.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Well, I've been...
0:20:01 > 0:20:03And you can go straight to the source.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- It's incredible. - "The people being..."
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Now listen to this.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11"..morose, avaricious, niggard, deceitful, false,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15"insolent and tyrannous, where they have command,
0:20:15 > 0:20:16"and being under command,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20"submissive and even slavish, sloven and base,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24"and yet overweening and valuing themselves above all other nations."
0:20:27 > 0:20:31In 1682, the new Tsar took over the throne.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Pyotr Alexeyevich.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Better known in the west as Peter the Great.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42From a young age, Peter the Great was fascinated with toy soldiers.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46What happened was that Peter was, as indeed young boys tend to be,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50was very keen on things military from very early on.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54So he started with toy soldiers in wood, and perhaps other materials,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58but increasingly, he was into re-enactments.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07As the Tsar grew older, he was given his own real soldiers to play with,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10a bodyguard of 100 men.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Patrick Gordon trained them up for the young Tsar,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and they were nicknamed The Toy Soldiers,
0:21:15 > 0:21:16or Play Men.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33You've also got, in here, I've noticed some amazing drawings.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36That's true. This is volume three, which is the smallest, but, perhaps,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40the most military of them all, with...action.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47In 1695, Patrick Gordon had a reputation as a formidable soldier.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51The siege of Azov, where Russia fought the Ottoman Empire
0:21:51 > 0:21:55for access to the Black Sea, would make him a legend.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05So, amazingly, they managed to hold out with some, like,
0:22:05 > 0:22:0810,000 men against...
0:22:08 > 0:22:09being outnumbered by ten to one
0:22:09 > 0:22:13by the Turks and Cathars for over a month.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17One diary entry sums up what Gordon faced.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20"On the bridge I did meet five or six Turks,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22"with their drawn scimitars,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25"and of the heads of Christians in their left hands.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28"At these, firing my pistol, I break through,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32"and run to the right hand on the top of the dam.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33"I got out also.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36"And then made as much haste as possible
0:22:36 > 0:22:38"to the laager, to the Russian camp."
0:22:38 > 0:22:40So he survived by a hair's breadth.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It was really a miraculous salvation.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43That's an amazing escape.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51Patrick Gordon served the Tsar until his death in 1699.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58Peter attended him several times, almost constantly,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00when Gordon was on his deathbed,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04again, here, in this part of Moscow.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09In November 1699, indeed Peter closed his eyes.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And, of course, the funeral was lavish.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14I think no Gordon,
0:23:14 > 0:23:20not even any Duke of Gordon was ever buried with such pomp and grandeur
0:23:20 > 0:23:21as Patrick here in Moscow,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24because the Tsar himself was in the procession,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26at the head of his regiment.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30To sum up, Dmitry, would you say, I mean, apart from Peter...
0:23:31 > 0:23:33..who was the Great,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37that he was probably one of the most important men in Russia?
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Definitely.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Certainly. In Russia, and I would say more,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43he was one of the more important men
0:23:43 > 0:23:45of the Scottish diaspora worldwide.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48After speaking to Dmitry,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Patrick Gordon's story has come alive for me.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I'm about to fire my first musket.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Well, I'm not actually sure if it's my first musket.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03I think it is.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06So, what do I do?
0:24:08 > 0:24:10God, they're heavy, aren't they?
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Put that back, yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14- You shoot, open.- Open.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Ah.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21OK. In here?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26All right, OK. Do you hold it there?
0:24:26 > 0:24:27There?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29OK. Hold it back.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32OK. Is that it?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45There's an interesting postscript to this tale.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49The Toy Soldiers, or Play Men...
0:24:51 > 0:24:52..disappeared after the revolution...
0:24:54 > 0:24:58..when the Imperial family, whom they guarded, were murdered.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03And just three years ago, Putin decided to reinstate them.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And now they are the official guard of the Kremlin.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Time to meet my chauffeur for the day.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- Nice to meet you.- It's moving.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- Welcome to Russia.- Is it OK?
0:25:30 > 0:25:31It's OK.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Power in motion.- Power in motion?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39So, Sergei, what do I do with this seat belt?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Well, actually, you can forget about it.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46I don't think our police will give me a fine for an abroad actor.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47I see. But...
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Normally, you should put it under the leg.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Put it under the leg. This is so Soviet.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- Yes.- This is what they used to do in the Soviet times.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- So, how old are you?- I'm 26.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04So, 26, that means you were born in 1990?
0:26:04 > 0:26:05- '89.- '89.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07To be fair, I'm really proud
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I was born in the Soviet Union, not Russia.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17When I was here in 1988, there was a great optimism,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20because there was perestroika, there was glasnost,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23everything was changing, Mikhail Gorbachev,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25everything was possible.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28You know, it was a great, great time.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30They offered new opportunities.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Back then the city was drab, but unique.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39Looking around now at the luxury shops, it feels less distinctive.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48How do you feel about Gorbachev?
0:26:50 > 0:26:52He is the man who fucked up my country.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58He was...to me, he seems a weak leader.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I feel sorry that we live in different countries
0:27:04 > 0:27:07with Ukraine, Belarus, it's one nation for me, and, you know...
0:27:10 > 0:27:13I'm really sorry we are separate nowadays.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And you think that was Gorbachev who fucked up the country?
0:27:16 > 0:27:17Yeah. Probably.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24But at the same time, he allowed for changes to happen.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28I like the changes, but I don't like there is
0:27:28 > 0:27:31some hate between the nations which were brothers.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40We're heading north on the trail of our next Scottish connection.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46This is Serednikovo.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49In the 19th-century, one of Russia's most famous poets,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and one of my favourite novelists, Mikhail Lermontov, lived here.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And, ancestrally at least, he's a Scot.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Here to meet me is a direct descendant of Lermontov,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09and Moscow's only expert on Scots Gaelic, Mhari Koralova.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- Mhari.- Hello, Brian.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- Ciamar a' tha thu? - Oh! Tha mi gu math.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19You have Gaelic?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Mm. Ochen' plokha.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23I see. Welcome to Serednikovo,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25the home where Lermontov stayed
0:28:25 > 0:28:28during his younger years as a teenager.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Let's go upstairs.- And this was his grandmother's home?
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Yes, it was. His grandmother's home.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Mikhail was cut off from his father,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and brought up by his aristocratic granny.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The Lermontov dynasty began in Scotland.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49In the 16th century, a Scottish soldier, George Learmonth,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51left Fife to seek his fortune.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56He settled in Russia and changed his name to Yuri Lermontov.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Mikhail would be born nearly two centuries later.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03So these are all the famous Learmonths.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05And over here we have, is this...?
0:29:07 > 0:29:08This is, this is...
0:29:10 > 0:29:11This is Mikhail, yes?
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- No. This is Mikhail. - This is Mikhail.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16This one is his cousin, I believe.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Lermontov remains one of the most-loved writers in Russia.
0:29:24 > 0:29:30He devolved a very clear language which became, some people say,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33probably the best prose,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37the best prose for Russia is written by Lermontov
0:29:37 > 0:29:39because his language is very clear.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42And there's an element of self-hatred that comes through
0:29:42 > 0:29:48- in a lot of the characters. - There is a dictionary where they
0:29:48 > 0:29:51list all the most frequent words of each writer,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54and the most frequent word of Lermontov is no.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58- No.- No.- Nyet, nyet.- Yes.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02"So I grew envious, I was ready to love the whole world,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04"but no-one understood me.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06"And I learned to hate.
0:30:06 > 0:30:12"My cheerless youth passed in conflict, and with myself and society.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17"And fearing ridicule, I buried my finest feelings deep in my heart,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19"and there, they died."
0:30:20 > 0:30:24'Lermontov wrote these words when he was 24 years old.'
0:30:24 > 0:30:27You can see the roots of that in his childhood.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32You can see the roots of that in the fact that he was not able to...
0:30:33 > 0:30:35..create, you know, be a part of a family.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38You know, with his dad.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Anybody who...
0:30:39 > 0:30:42I mean, I lost my father when I was very little,
0:30:42 > 0:30:43so I know what that's like.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45And I know what that does to you.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47That sense of alienation.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49You know, not having a father.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51And I could feel that.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54I could feel that empathy with him.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Yes. And that's why, I think,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Lermontov always dreamt about his ancestors.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03He was really fascinated by his ancestors.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Sadly, Lermontov wasn't long for this world.
0:31:10 > 0:31:11At the age of 26,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15he got involved in an argument with a friend in the Caucasus.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21He was probably considered to be a friend of his but he, probably,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24he was jealous because Lermontov was so talented.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26He challenged him to a duel?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28He challenged him to a duel,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31yes, and that's how his life ended.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36There's lots of speculation whether it was intentional or unintentional.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38He thought it was a joke right until the end.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Because didn't he fire his gun in the air?
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Yes. And Martynov just fired straight...
0:31:42 > 0:31:44- Straight at him.- Yes.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Shall we go down to the lake?
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Yes, let's do that. I'll show you
0:31:49 > 0:31:51the place where Yearning was written.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53This is so beautiful.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58In 1831, when Mikhail was just 16 years old,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02he wrote one of his most celebrated poems, The Yearning.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- It looks like Scotland. It could be one of your Scottish lochs.- Yes.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11'It shows how important his Scottish roots were to him.'
0:32:13 > 0:32:17"To the west, to the west, I'll be gone in an hour.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21"To the land where my forefathers flowered."
0:32:22 > 0:32:25SHE RECITES POEM IN RUSSIAN
0:32:30 > 0:32:34'Lermontov never made it to Scotland, his ancestral home.'
0:32:34 > 0:32:38But he could never fulfil his dream during his lifetime.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41So my idea was to bring that monument to Scotland,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46so that we could finally, after 200 years, fulfil his dream.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51And I'm sure that his spirit now rests happily.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55And that he is very, very welcome in the land of his ancestor.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56He is among his kin.
0:32:59 > 0:33:00I'm sure he's very happy.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10"Westwards, ever westwards would I fly.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13"Where flourish the lands of my forebears.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15"Where, in an empty castle,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19"on mist-clad mountains rest their forgotten remains."
0:33:22 > 0:33:26That sculpture now lies here
0:33:26 > 0:33:29in the village of Earlston in the Scottish Borders.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Today is the anniversary of his birth.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It's a Russian tradition to give flowers to the monument.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39So we have a little posy of red roses,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42and thistles to represent Scotland,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46the Scottish people. And it's tied with the Flower of Scotland ribbon.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52APPLAUSE
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Friday night in Moscow.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12I love this city.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15I mean, it's hard not to, but the traffic, oh, my God!
0:34:17 > 0:34:19It's bad.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24So bad that the uber-rich put on flashing lights and sirens
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and pretend that they are ambulances just to get through the traffic.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33I'm heading to Russia's first Caledonian club,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37a place for Scotophiles to meet wandering Scots like me.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Extraordinary.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Russian fusion. Scottish fusion.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09It's run by President Vitaly Myranov.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Vitaly has an amazing claim to fame.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23In 2007 he brought Edinburgh's famous Military Tattoo to Red Square.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Over 1,000 musicians from nine countries took part,
0:35:27 > 0:35:32with a combined audience of over 35,000 people.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36It's now one of the most important annual cultural events in Moscow.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41For Vitaly, it's not just about tourism.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Give people opportunity to understand each other better,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49because... Because, sorry to interrupt, my friend,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53but because, you see, I strongly believe that what politicians are doing now,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55this is horrible thing.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57All politicians around the world.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01They're thinking instead of us, they live in a plastic world.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04In a world which they create for themselves.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07But we ordinary people, we don't need to follow this.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10We need to create our own world.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12And speak with each other.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16We need... Our people need to see ordinary people from Scotland.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Ordinary people from the Western countries.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20And not follow Russian propaganda.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Because from both sides, it's propaganda.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24There is a lot of propaganda.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27This is where I feel there's a real disconnection
0:36:27 > 0:36:31between peoples because of the politics.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Because we need to understand.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35We need to make a real connection.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Now it's the right time to do it, because you see what's happening in the world.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- Absolutely.- It's terrible.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43It's terrible. So we need to do something.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Ordinary people. Everything depends on us.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48From one ordinary Russian person...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51But who am I? I'm just head of the Moscow Caledonian club.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53I have three lovely kids.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56I met my wife while I was in Scotland, you know?
0:36:56 > 0:36:59So I like this country. I like this world. I like this life.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Your wife's not Scottish, though, is she?
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- No, she's Russian. But she used to be a dancer.- Oh, really?
0:37:03 > 0:37:04And I met her in Edinburgh in 1988.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06At Edinburgh Military Tattoo, actually.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08THEY LAUGH
0:37:08 > 0:37:10# I spent all my money on whisky and beer... #
0:37:10 > 0:37:14'But for Dmitri, co-founder of the Cally club,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17'it's a chance to let his hair down.'
0:37:17 > 0:37:20# And I swear I'll play the wild rover no more
0:37:20 > 0:37:23# No nay never
0:37:23 > 0:37:26# No nay never no more
0:37:26 > 0:37:31# And I'll play the wild rover
0:37:31 > 0:37:36# No never no more. #
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Never more!
0:37:38 > 0:37:41But every time come back in Moscow Cally Club!
0:38:04 > 0:38:10The next Scot we're about to meet is a man who was so obsessed with communism
0:38:10 > 0:38:14he even made his name onto a Soviet stamp, and yet he was never,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16ever allowed to visit the country.
0:38:17 > 0:38:24John Maclean, the great Bolshevik defender, a man who sums up,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27very neatly, where the word "bolshy" comes from.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33This is the old Bowhill mining colliery in Fife.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35'Here to tell us about John Maclean
0:38:35 > 0:38:40'is my friend, writer and broadcaster, Billy Kay.'
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Thank you.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44Billy!
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Mr Cox, welcome to the Little Moscows of West Fife.
0:38:48 > 0:38:49Little Moscows of West Fife?
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Bowhill, Cardenden...
0:38:52 > 0:38:56'Nearly a century ago, John Maclean and his fellow comrades
0:38:56 > 0:39:01'orchestrated a strike here over low pay and poor working conditions.'
0:39:02 > 0:39:06The great John Maclean, his stronghold was North Lanarkshire,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Glasgow and West Fife.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Born in 1879, John Maclean grew up in Glasgow.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Graduating from Glasgow University to become a primary school teacher.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21At the same time,
0:39:21 > 0:39:26he was beginning to make a name for himself as a political agitator.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30Although he was not a strong religious man, he reminds me -
0:39:30 > 0:39:34what went on then - a bit like some of the religious revivals.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37He had the ability to communicate
0:39:37 > 0:39:41communist and Marxian ideology to the ordinary man.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45And that was a great, great ability at that time,
0:39:45 > 0:39:49because the ordinary man wanted something that would take him out of himself,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53and make him think that there was a better world around the corner.
0:39:53 > 0:39:54Some vision of the future?
0:39:54 > 0:39:56And that's what Maclean did.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03John Maclean became increasingly angry at what was happening
0:40:03 > 0:40:05to the Scottish working-class.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11He saw Glasgow, the second city of the Empire,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14had become an industrial lynchpin in the war effort.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18In 1915,
0:40:18 > 0:40:23the Munitions Of War Act suspended trade union rights for workers.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Thousands of working-class Scots were being massacred in the trenches.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Maclean began campaigning against the war.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42A year later, he was imprisoned for comments against conscription
0:40:42 > 0:40:44under The Defence Of The Realm Act.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51Do you like John Maclean?
0:40:51 > 0:40:55I do. Because I've always responded to that phrase
0:40:55 > 0:40:57"all hail the Scottish workers' Republic."
0:40:57 > 0:40:58Right.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Maclean saw the Russian Revolution as an inspiration.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05The working classes could overthrow the elite.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08The very thing the British government feared.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16"Arise you starvlings from your slumbers.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19"Arise you criminals of want.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21"For reason and revolt now thunders.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24"And at last ends the age of can't.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30"Away with all your superstitions, servile masses, arise, arise!
0:41:30 > 0:41:32"We'll change forthwith with the old conditions
0:41:32 > 0:41:36"and spurn the dust to win the prize."
0:41:38 > 0:41:40In 1919,
0:41:40 > 0:41:45estimates of up to 100,000 men and women filled Glasgow's George Square
0:41:45 > 0:41:47to protest for better rights.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51The Government feared a British Bolshevik uprising.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56They sent in 12,000 troops and snipers to attack the protesters.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58He was an enemy of the state.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01He was regarded as such and he was regarded -
0:42:01 > 0:42:03in later years, the correspondence from that period -
0:42:03 > 0:42:05he was regarded as the most dangerous man in Britain.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- Right.- He was the man who could cause a revolution.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11The biggest irony of all this was
0:42:11 > 0:42:14that he never actually visited Russia.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- He never got there.- He never got there. Did he ever intend to go?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20I think he would have wanted to go, but he just was unable.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25I mean, from the Russian Revolution onwards, he was in prison.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Something like in about a three-year period,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30he was in prison for about 20 months or something.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35He was, say, arrested under the Defence Of The Realm Act,
0:42:35 > 0:42:41he went to Peterhead, he was force-fed at times in Peterhead.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46He eventually came out, but he died of pneumonia in 1923.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51On his death, more than 20,000 people came out
0:42:51 > 0:42:53to pay their respects.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00Now Maclean has been recognised as the Scottish Lenin,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03and rightfully remembered as the champion of the working classes.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07This is a real treasure.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10It's a stamp with the face of...
0:43:14 > 0:43:16..John Maclean.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Only ten years later, Russia was under the grip of Josef Stalin.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Very few foreigners travelled to Russia,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37or knew what was happening there,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41but one extraordinary Scot was an exception to the rule.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50So, Fitzroy Maclean crisscrossed Russia's vast empire
0:43:50 > 0:43:51in the late 1930s,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55attending the purge trials of the great Russian intellectuals
0:43:55 > 0:43:57such as Bukharin.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04Soldier, diplomat, author, spy...
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Some say that he was even the inspiration
0:44:07 > 0:44:10for Ian Fleming's James Bond.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Born in Cairo in 1911,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20Fitzroy Maclean was educated at Eton and Cambridge.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23In his 20s he joined the diplomatic service.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27He'd later go on to be one of the founding members of the SAS.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36Today I'm meeting his son Charles at Fitzroy's family home in Argyll.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39So, Charles, tell me,
0:44:39 > 0:44:44what was it that brought your father to Russia in the first place?
0:44:44 > 0:44:48Well, he was third secretary
0:44:48 > 0:44:52at the embassy in Paris in the early '30s,
0:44:52 > 0:44:57and was living a life of luxury, really.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02When the opportunity arose,
0:45:02 > 0:45:06he decided, after about three years of living this good life,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09that he wanted to go to Russia,
0:45:09 > 0:45:14that he asked to be what was then regarded as a punishment post,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17he asked, "Can I go to the Moscow embassy?"
0:45:17 > 0:45:19He had a downstairs flat,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21but it looked directly across to the Kremlin,
0:45:21 > 0:45:25and I think the view of the Kremlin...
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Yeah, here it is, here.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31That's what he took from his flat.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35There it is all. And there was a red star that flashed at night,
0:45:35 > 0:45:38and the red flag was illuminated, and he said,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40you could hear in the middle of the night,
0:45:40 > 0:45:44you would be woken by the screams of people being dragged away
0:45:44 > 0:45:48by the NKVD and tossed into the river or the Lubyanka.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53So it was, he said, it was a terrifying time to be there.
0:45:53 > 0:46:00Fitzroy arrived in 1937, two years before the Second World War.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04He returned much later in a BBC documentary.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08I remember the first time I arrived in Moscow at this station.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12It was a gloomy February afternoon.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Dark, snow everywhere,
0:46:15 > 0:46:19crowds on the streets, all huddled in their sheepskin.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Not a very cheerful outlook.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26Fitzroy witnessed the beginnings of Stalin's purges,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29including the show trials of key figures within the Communist Party.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36I sat listening to the speeches and taking notes,
0:46:36 > 0:46:41and in the intervals I did that ten hours a day for ten days.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Pretty exhausting, especially as you went on to two or three in the morning quite often.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48In those days, Stalin liked staying up late
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and he kept the country up late too.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Well, that's rather like Nuremberg, isn't it?
0:46:53 > 0:46:54Yeah, absolutely.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Absolutely.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00'Proceedings were filmed right through as far as I remember...'
0:47:00 > 0:47:03I never realised that they were filmed.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- No?- I've never seen this.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Extraordinary.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14There was one extraordinary episode during the trial,
0:47:14 > 0:47:19when the man, poor man, who was operating the arc lights,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21let it get out of control.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23And it shot right up,
0:47:23 > 0:47:29threw its loud beam of light onto this little middle window up there.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34And through the dark glass we could recognise the features of Stalin,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38gloating over his former colleagues.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40It was very dramatic indeed.
0:47:40 > 0:47:41- Brilliant.- It's astonishing.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- Astonishing.- Absolutely, I mean, to witness that,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48to witness that incredible moment of history,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51and of course it must have had a very profound effect on his life.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54It must have had a very profound effect, certainly on his thinking...
0:47:54 > 0:47:57I think it did. I think he was horrified, actually.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00In the run-up to war,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Fitzroy heard rumours about a possible pact between Russia
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and Nazi Germany.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11If it was true, it would change the world.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16Fitzroy's source was someone deep within the German Embassy.
0:48:18 > 0:48:24He actually was feeding stories about what was going on in Germany
0:48:24 > 0:48:27with regard to the certainty of war.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33If he'd been caught, he would have been executed immediately,
0:48:33 > 0:48:35so it was a really very serious and dangerous thing.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37So, this was information that your father was getting?
0:48:37 > 0:48:41- That he was getting.- And certainly very useful in terms of his position?
0:48:41 > 0:48:42And he was relaying back to London.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47- Exactly.- How much people were listening, debatable.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49But certainly...
0:48:49 > 0:48:51You see, we didn't have any...
0:48:51 > 0:48:53We didn't have any spies in Russia.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56There was nobody kind of able to penetrate at that point.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01So, that now comes to my next question, the inevitable one.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04Ian Fleming was working for naval intelligence.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07He also came out to Moscow and hung out with these guys
0:49:07 > 0:49:09at the dacha and everything.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11So, that is where the notion,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14that James Bond connection might come about?
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Yes, that's right. I think there was a moment,
0:49:16 > 0:49:19and I could tell you exactly when it was. 1940.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22The Germans were about to occupy Paris.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27And he, Bruce Lockhart, Ian Fleming and Fitzroy Maclean
0:49:27 > 0:49:30all had lunch together.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31That's astonishing!
0:49:31 > 0:49:34- I know.- Because Bruce Lockhart is supposed to be the other possible
0:49:34 > 0:49:37- influence for James Bond.- That's right. But they were all there.
0:49:37 > 0:49:42And of course, 007 is the official dialling code for Russia.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46That I didn't know. That's very funny.
0:49:47 > 0:49:53Fitzroy died in 1996, after a life of action and achievement.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57In his later years he had what many Scots would see as a dream job.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01He created his very own malt whisky.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03And it would be rude not to try it.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Brian, have a seat. I'm going to introduce you to the MacPhunn.
0:50:08 > 0:50:09- The MacPhunn?- Yeah.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Now, this is the first bottle of a new...
0:50:12 > 0:50:15A hogshead which we have just bottled.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18So we are trying something new here, in the sense that...
0:50:20 > 0:50:23It's quite powerful stuff, cos it's cask strength,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25so this is it, full proof.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29And sherried oak, single malt.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34- Well...- And if you like a little drop of water...
0:50:34 > 0:50:37- Tiny, tiny.- It releases the flavour.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38That's fine, yeah.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40That's great.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42- You don't want to drown it.- No.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44That's great.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Well, na zdrowie.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Slainte. OK.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54Ooh.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57That's a bit good.
0:50:57 > 0:50:58- A bit good?- Yes!
0:51:00 > 0:51:01It's a bit good!
0:51:06 > 0:51:10So, I just want to raise our glass a little bit, MacPhunn, to your dad.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12Yes. I'll join you with that.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14- To your dad.- Thanks. To my father.
0:51:16 > 0:51:21By the 1980s, Russia was changing almost by the day.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Premier Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27which literally translates as "openness".
0:51:28 > 0:51:31The old Empire began to disintegrate,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34allowing Westerners like me to arrive.
0:51:35 > 0:51:40I was teaching a group of students and having the time of my life.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Brian Cox!
0:51:44 > 0:51:48I just have to say something for the viewers out there.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50This is a trapped man.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53I am trapped between two continents.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55They have got me here and they ain't going to let me go.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59They got me here under pretences - not false, but spurious.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03I'm now on my way to my old stomping ground.
0:52:06 > 0:52:07LAUGHTER
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Look at you!
0:52:12 > 0:52:14You haven't changed!
0:52:14 > 0:52:16You look exactly the same.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22THEY GREET EACH OTHER
0:52:22 > 0:52:26This is my rock. This man was my rock, my absolute...
0:52:26 > 0:52:28he was the rock.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30What do you say "rock" in Russia?
0:52:30 > 0:52:32- Rock.- Rock. He was my rock.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38'I haven't seen Aliona and Sergei since the late '80s.'
0:52:38 > 0:52:42It's like visiting your childhood again, coming back.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Well, shall we go in here?
0:52:46 > 0:52:52'The famous Moscow Arts Theatre has one of the oldest and most important drama schools in Russia,
0:52:52 > 0:52:55'and I spent nearly two years of my life here.'
0:52:55 > 0:52:58I love this space.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01- Oh!- Come here, I'll show you something.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05It's one of the greatest spaces in the world.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06It's just incredible.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09'After a series of workshops,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'the production we finally worked on was Arthur Miller's The Crucible.'
0:53:15 > 0:53:18'The play is an allegory of the McCarthy era,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22'when the American government began purging supposed communists.'
0:53:22 > 0:53:25We have to really keep this text.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27It's tricky, but it's...
0:53:28 > 0:53:30OK...
0:53:33 > 0:53:36'I was worried that this play might be too on the nose
0:53:36 > 0:53:40'for these young students whose country, after all,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43'was right in the middle of a state of flux.'
0:53:47 > 0:53:53But, you know, the extraordinary thing is, they got it right away.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57SCREAMING AND YELLING
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Do you remember this?
0:54:03 > 0:54:04Yeah!
0:54:04 > 0:54:05Remember that there?
0:54:05 > 0:54:08'I wanted to open their world up even more.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13'So I brought them to London.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18'None of these guys have ever seen this footage.'
0:54:31 > 0:54:33You were drunk.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37And do you remember I took you around various houses,
0:54:37 > 0:54:38to all the houses you stayed in?
0:54:38 > 0:54:39I remember everything.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42Yeah. Well, do you remember who you stayed with?
0:54:42 > 0:54:43I remember, of course, in your flat.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45Oh, you stayed with me!
0:54:45 > 0:54:47THEY LAUGH
0:54:47 > 0:54:49Ssh! We mustn't talk about that.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Yes! Yes, I'd forgotten.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00So... I am now embarrassed.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05Every one of these is a genius.
0:55:05 > 0:55:06Every one of these is a genius.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09WOMAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:55:09 > 0:55:10Seven geniuses.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13See, you've got a completed circle here.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17'The biggest surprise was how it changed me.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20'At that time I was trying to work out
0:55:20 > 0:55:22'who I was and who I wanted to be.'
0:55:22 > 0:55:27You know, there is pre-Moscow and there is post-Moscow in my life.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31And everything changed after that, because you guys,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33you taught me so much about being,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36you know, because you had very little,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39you had nothing, but your imaginations -
0:55:39 > 0:55:42you had the greatest imaginations I'd ever come across.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46Fierce. I mean, it was just fierce what you imagined, what you could do.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And I was just... So that has never left me.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53I still think of you and I think of you in rehearsal.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56We are all keeping this fantastic experience.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58- We all keep it.- Yeah?
0:56:09 > 0:56:11It's not left them, it's not left me,
0:56:11 > 0:56:15and it's something that we'll carry with us to our dying days,
0:56:15 > 0:56:16just there.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18'At lunch with my old friend, Oleg Tabakov,
0:56:18 > 0:56:20'who brought me to Russia.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23'It's just...
0:56:23 > 0:56:24'It's overwhelming.'
0:56:26 > 0:56:27Are you OK?
0:56:29 > 0:56:30'It's incredibly moving.'
0:56:33 > 0:56:36And also that leaves you kind of bereft of
0:56:36 > 0:56:39the right words to describe it.
0:56:39 > 0:56:40MAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN
0:56:40 > 0:56:42- MAN TRANSLATES:- We ran ahead of time, Brian.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46We were so free.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49We've seen so much of the world.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52You raised the curtain for us.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57This is for you, and thank you so much.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04You are my Sergei Korolev to Yuri Gagarin.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09You selected us.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16It's, um...
0:57:20 > 0:57:22It's fantastic.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36Next time on my Russian odyssey,
0:57:36 > 0:57:39we go to the dream city of Peter the Great.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44The jewel in the crown of Russian culture.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46St Petersburg.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48- They damaged the painting.- Oh.
0:57:48 > 0:57:53Poor Alexandra Feodorovna got the full might of the Bolshevik.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59Oh! This is beautiful.
0:57:59 > 0:58:01I wonder what the people of Leningrad made of this.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08What is it about this place that gets under your skin?
0:58:08 > 0:58:10I didn't want to say this cos you're my father,
0:58:10 > 0:58:12but a lot of the time, of course, we were drunk.
0:58:17 > 0:58:18Goodnight.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Spokoynoy nochi.