– Historian Neil Oliver

teachers, architects, engineers, bankers, all sorts. We wanted to see what they thought of China and what the Chinese thought of us.”

As well as the China series, Neil has been working on his second novel, due next year, and another BBC show called The Rise Of The Clans. He is also president of the National Trust for Scotland, taking on the role last year.

His pro-union views led to criticism from some nationalists and reports of scores of people giving up their memberships in protest, but Neil plays down the extent of the discontent.

“We live in polarised times on account of Brexit and the independence referendum. So everyone is going to have a view or a political stance whoever was going to be president.

“I don’t have a political posting. I’m someone who is passionate about Scotland and its heritage and can shine a spotlight on the places that matter to the history of Scotland.” But he admits that the organisation must move on. “I’d like to see more people involved with it. There are something like 400,000 members; I’d like to see four million. The National Trust for Scotland is a cause rather than a charity. I’d hope that by my association it might attract people to come and see the properties in a different way.

“It’s not just about castles and ancient history.”

The Scottish dates of Neil’s The Story Of The British Isles In 100 Places tour start in Edinburgh on November 16 before moving on to Stirling, Inverness and Glasgow.