The Scottish Island that won the Lottery

Channel 4 head north of the border tonight in our Best on the Box choice.

There are few places as remote as the Isle of North Uist. Part of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, it’s on the rugged north-western edge of the British Isles, almost as close to Iceland as it is to London.

North Uist’s 1500 islanders are famed for self-sufficiency and resourcefulness. It’s a community that’s not cash-rich but is wealthy in traditions and language stretching back centuries. Not much changes on North Uist. That is, until the islanders lucked out, winning a £3 million lottery windfall.

This documentary follows fisherman Donald, crofter Attar, postal worker Pamela, peat cutter Duncan and whisky distillery entrepreneurs Kate and Jonny, as they deal with their bonanza. In a rural idyll where you already have everything you need, what happens when you win the jackpot but don’t know how to spend it?

The Scottish Island that won the Lottery, Channel 4, tonight at 8 pm