Scottish TV historian and archaeologist Neil Oliver pulled in the crowds at an exclusive event in Stirling Castle’s magnificent Great Hall.

On the evening of Tuesday, 20 October, Neil talked to around 200 guests about the making of his hugely popular recent BBC TV series and his new book of the same name – A History of Scotland.

The book and series explode many of the myths about our national history and highlights the country’s success in forging its own destiny. Neil said: “I was delighted to come to Stirling Castle to speak about A History of Scotland. “This majestic stronghold played an incredibly important role throughout our country’s history and was the setting for so many defining events of its past. “So it was a really appropriate place to talk about programmes and a publication which highlight the dramatic stories which shaped our nation’s destiny.”

Visitors bought over 100 signed copies of the beautifully-illustrated new publication. Castle manager Gillian MacDonald said: “The event was a great success, Neil spoke for about 50 minutes and answered questions from the audience.“We had loads of positive feedback, so I’m really pleased that everyone had such a good time.”

During the daytime Historic Scotland had a special two-for-one ticket offer, so visitors could enjoy a complete day out at the castle.

Neil shot to stardom in 2002 with the hit BBC series Two Men in a Trench which unearthed the storied behind famous British battlefields. Since then he has become a household name through series like Coast and Time Team and is a favourite on programmes like The One Show. Born in Ayr, and a graduate of Glasgow University’s highly respected archaeology department, his enthusiasm and style have helped him to bring the excitement of archaeology and history into millions of homes.

The talk and book signing was jointly organised by Historic Scotland and Waterstone’s Books.