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02.12.02
CBBC
SCOTLAND
James Mackenzie is Scotland's new fantasy pin-up
Move over Aragorn, Legolas and Frodo - Scotland now has its very own home-grown fantasy hero.
In the flesh, 23-year-old James Mackenzie bears a striking resemblance to Robbie Williams, but his part in BBC Scotland's new challenge show doesn't call for him to sing and dance.
His role is to preside over a collection of warrior contestants in the role of the mysterious Raven!
The programme, to be shown on the CBBC channel for 20 days of the Christmas holidays, is something of a mixture of Lord of the Rings and the Crystal Maze.
More than a year in the making, producers Nigel Pope and Colin Nobbs spent many months devising a series of thrilling challenges and then recruiting an exceptional team of designers and directors.
They set about transforming large tracts of Argyll's Cowal peninsula into the fantasy kingdom inhabited by Raven, his warriors and a host of mysterious demons and monsters.
The final touch was to find an actor to take the part of the gamesmaster and presenter of the series - Raven himself.
Noble and wise, yet slightly mysterious, Raven is a hugely demanding part.
Almost a hundred actors were auditioned for the role, but James Mackenzie from Edinburgh stood out from the beginning.
Fresh out of Queen Margaret College, Raven is James' first major TV role, though he has already appeared in Taggart, Rebus and many stage productions.
"James has got charisma, confidence and good looks," says executive producer Nigel Pope.
In fact the young actor made such an impact with BBC bosses that the series
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