Yew-letide TV show features Fortingall tree

The famous Fortingall Yew had a starring role in a big budget BBC TV programme looking at Christmas traditions.

The first episode of ‘A Very Country Christmas’ on BBC One saw the presenters Ellie Harrison and Angellica Bell on a trip to Perthshire, thinking about smoked salmon and ancient church rituals.

Since many a Christmas morning starts with a treat of Scottish smoked salmon, the programme makers sent Ellie to try to fish for salmon on the Cargill beat run by The Tay Salmon Fisheries Company, near Guildton.

She was given tips by expert caster and head ghillie,

David Godfrey.

She tried kiln-smoked salmon at a smokehouse at Killin and then the programme took a detour to look at Fortingall village and the ancient yew tree in the kirk yard.

Angellica Bell learnt the history of what is believed to be the UK’s oldest tree and one of the longest living in Europe from tree warden Neil Hooper.

Fortingall resident Neil was persuaded to open the gate of the walled enclosure in the graveyard of the Stewarts of Garth to show her the tree at close quarters.

Neil, who is also a local historian, debunked the myth that Pontius Pilate was born in Fortingall.

He suggested it was possibly an invention of the millionaire shipping magnate, Sir Donald Currie, whose landownership included the village. He was also the MP for the district when people first started linking Perthshire with the Roman governor who sentenced Christ .

Fortingall has been on a Christian pilgrim route for around 1300 years, and more about the historic contents of the church was explained by the minister, Rev Robert Nicol.

A Very Country Christmas, episode 1, was first shown on December 6 at 10.30am on BBC One and is available to watch on i-Player for one year.