What British TV drama does "I shall be in Inverness" come from?

November 10, 2024 10:32 PM

When I was a kid I saw a strange British drama on PBS. There was an old man character who appeared to be a powerful, tyrannical businessman, but we gradually learned he was totally senile and the people around him were just indulging him. He would say "I shall be in Inverness" repeatedly. Any idea what this show could have been?

I'm not sure if it was new when I saw it or a rerun. It may have been on Mystery! or Masterpiece Theater. I'm pretty sure it was shot on video. I think the old man had once been a genuinely fearsome guy and people were still somewhat cowed by his angry ranting, but a woman (maybe his daughter?) finally got fed up and furiously called him out. I have a vague memory that she may have pushed a button, a loud alarm went off and some painted screens that had been over the old man's windows flew up to reveal that his "office" was actually just a set. The old man had been wearing a dark wig and it fell off, leaving him bald, lost and pitiful-looking. The "I shall be in Inverness" thing was a dodge; whenever anybody asked him about matters of actual consequence he'd say he couldn't deal with it because he was going to be traveling and he'd be in Inverness.

posted by Ursula Hitler to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

I can't answer the question specifically but it's almost certainly a reference to Macbeth. Inverness Castle is where Macbeth murdered King Duncan and began his descent into madness, so the idea of "going to Inverness" can be seen as a portent of darkness, regicide, and insanity, all themes which seems very pertinent to your show.

So in terms of trying to find it again maybe it's a modern take on a classic Shakespearean tale?
posted by underclocked at 11:32 PM on November 10, 2024 [2 favorites]

From your description it sounds like an episode of Tales Of The Unexpected. Was that shown in the USA ?
posted by Webbster at 5:16 AM on November 11, 2024

Response by poster: My searches lead me right to Macbeth, so I knew this was probably a reference to that. I'm pretty certain it wasn't Tales Of The Unexpected. It had more of a "prestige TV" PBS vibe. It was definitely PBS and not on cable. I looked up the episodes for Masterpiece Theater and Great Performances from that era and nothing looks like a match. The annoying thing is that it was popular enough at the time that "I shall be in Inverness" became a bit of a catchphrase at my school, but now when I search for it I get bupkiss. My family remembers the phrase "I shall be in Inverness" so I know I'm not totally imagining this, but it looks like I may never find it.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:39 PM on November 11, 2024

Approximately what year would you have seen this?
posted by La Gata at 8:58 PM on November 12, 2024

Response by poster: I probably saw it in the mid-80s, but I'm not sure if it was new then.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:11 AM on November 13, 2024