ACTOR Bobby Carlyle fended off an inquisitive public, producer Deirdre Keir had her children offered bribes at school, and writer Daniel Boyle didn't know until he wrote it.

So who does PC MacBeth choose to marry in the second series of the Bafta-winning BBC Scotland hit, Hamish MacBeth?

The press sneaked a peek yesterday when the scene in the comedy - which converted more than 10 million viewers into a captive audience - was unveiled before its public tran-smission on Sunday, March 24.

So will it be local girl Isobel Sutherland, played by Shirley Henderson, or the old flame, Alex Maclean, (Valerie Gogan) who knocks the Highland policeman's hat and heart sideways? Only time, but not The Herald, will tell.

Papers blabbed last series on the death of Wee Jock, MacBeth's scottie dog, which drained the show of its suspense. So this year Deirdre Keir made a plea for silence. The show's press release went a step further claiming cast and crew were asked to sign a secrecy clause.