‘Men in Kilts’: Sam & Graham Talk ‘Outlander,’ Plus Do a Little Song and Dance (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1, Episode 3 of Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham, “Song & Dance.”]
We’ve been enjoying Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish Scottish adventures in Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham, but the latest installment, “Song & Dance,” which centers on their hit Starz show, Outlander, goes after our hearts.
The funny friends and costars delve into Scotland’s history of song and dance, playing instruments (or trying to) and trying out classical dance routines with the help of local experts.
The episode opens on the water, as Graham and Sam do their best to sing Outlander‘s theme tune, the fittingly titled “Skye Boat Song.”
The actors discuss the significance of song and dance in Scottish culture, noting that they’re deeply entwined with both celebration and battle rituals. And their first stop is in Glencoe, where they meet with Gillebride MacMillan, a traditional Gaelic singer and one-time Outlander cast member (he appeared in the Season 1 episode, “The Way Out,” as Gwyllyn the Bard alongside Heughan and McTavish.)
Starz
Together, they chat about the Gaelic language and musical abilities, particularly the fact that Sam and Graham have none.
Next, the travel guides visit Doune Castle which has stood in as the fictional Castle Leoch in Outlander. There, they learn more about the bagpipes which are considered an ancient instrument and are told more about the importance of its use in war before Iain McGillivray, the leader of the McGillivray Clan, serenades them with sweeping sounds from his bagpipes.
After learning about the language and music, Sam and Graham turn their attention to dance as they’re taught the traditional sword dance which involves hopping around the blades that are laid down on the ground. One thing their instructor Cerys Jones tells them is that in the past, if a warrior were to kick the swords during their dance, it was believed they’d die in battle. Needless to say, after their session, neither Sam nor Graham would make it through a battle.
Before honing in on their dance skills a bit more, Sam and Graham spend time with the Glencorse Pipe Band who display their skills in a larger-scale performance. And to end the evening the pals join in on a traditional Ceilidh gathering where they get another choreography lesson, this time by dancer Sophie Jessop Støer.
(Credit: Starz)
Following a group dance routine, Sam and Graham cheers to an episode well spent on the musical aspects of Scotland’s history. Don’t miss out on their next adventures when the men tackle witchcraft and superstition, an episode that Heughan told TV Insider is “spooky… and really fascinating.”
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham, Sundays, 9/8c, Starz
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham where to stream
