A clan commander is marching to the beat of his own drum after becoming the youngest person to hold the position in Scotland.
A new TV documentary will track Iain MacGillivray’s 18 months in the role after he was chosen at the age of 29.
The farmer, from Calrossie, near Tain, is one of the youngest chiefs of modern times and credits his youth as being key to his appointment.
The commander of the MacGillivray clan, the first Scot to hold the position in more than 100 years, said: “When I was voted in, I didn’t expect to be chosen at all. I was sure the clan would pick someone older and wiser.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the response my becoming commander has had – even the makers of Big Brother have been in touch asking if I would be interested in taking part in their show”.
As well as the brush with reality TV, Mr MacGillivray has also met with Outlander author Diana Gabaldon and visited the tomb of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
He has travelled the world to clan conventions as far afield as Melbourne, Australia and Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada.
But it could have all been very different for the young chieftain, who narrowly avoided life-altering injuries or worse after a tractor accident on his farm just months after taking up the post.
He added: “We were putting up a fence on the farm, and I was on the ground lifting the fence posts when the bucket of the tractor fell on top of me.
“It weighed a ton and the doctors have told me they don’t know I survived.”
Mr MacGillivray will hold the role for the next five years, after which he can apply to become chief of the clan.
The last Scottish chief, Captain John William, died in 1914 with no heir.
The title passed to his cousin John Farquhar who lived in Toronto and held the role until 1942 when he too died without an heir.
Since then there have been no valid claims to the role.
But even if Mr MacGillivray becomes chief and holds the post for up to 20 years, he will still have to stand aside if an heir from his predecessor’s hereditary line comes forward.
The Young Clan Commander: Am Fear-Cinnidh Og airs on BBC Alba on April 4.