Beattie, a former Highland councillor, takes as his inspiration a meeting between Robert Burns and the great fiddler Niel Gow at Gow's Dunkeld home in 1785.

Burns was then 27 and beginning to attract the interest of the literary establishment while 60-year-old Gow was a well respected musician who enjoyed the patronage of the Duke of Atholl.

Though both men are very important figures in Scottish culture, the North Kessock writer was not intimidated about recreating their meeting.

"You're obviously aware that these figures are so well known, Burns in particular, that everyone has their own idea of what they might have been like," Beattie said.

"But I wasn't intimidated by the process because I've done similar things before, imagining conversations.

"Like many people, I've been to a lot of Burns' suppers over the years and you get a wee bit of a sense of the person. I've got a longstanding interest in Burns and have done Burns Federation things at school, standing up doing long recitations in front of the class. Gow is more recent, with the growth of interest in traditional music over the last 20 years, but he's such a major influence on the fiddlers."

Inverness actor Jimmy Chisholm plays Burns with Dundee musician Michael Marra (whose many songs include "Niel Gow's Apprentice") as Gow.

"Obviously for radio you try to listen to distinctive voices and Michael's is so distinctive, it comes across very well, even though he's not the same age as Gow," Beattie commented.

"Jimmy was also a great pleasure to work with, very professional. I sat in on the day and we were able to make a few changes and see what worked."

The fiddle music in the production is played by top Scottish fiddler Pete Clark while the producer is another well known Scottish musician Rab Noakes of independent producers Neon Productions.

The play is the first in a series of new 30-minute dramas commissioned by Radio Scotland.

"I think that's absolutely terrific," Beattie said.

"Jeff Zycinski (head of Radio Scotland) has taken such an interest in it, which is great to see. It's been too long since Radio Scotland did any drama."

* "Burns and Gow" by Bryan Beattie will be broadcast by BBC Radio Scotland at 3.30pm on Monday.

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