​MacTV documentary follows Isla in the fast lane

​​Stornoway racing driver Isla Mackenzie’s crack at single seater racing will be ​told in a new, ​ ​BBC One network documentary, as part of the forthcoming series ‘Our Lives.’
By Eric MacKinnon
Published 2nd Jun 2023, 09:10 GMT
Isla Mackenzie with her race car.Isla Mackenzie with her race car.
Isla Mackenzie with her race car.

Filmed and produced by Stornoway-based MacTV at locations in Lewis and on the mainland including a number of ​the UK's most famous racing circuits, the documentary charts Isla’s journey, from growing up on a farm ​just outside Stornoway,​ to working as an engineer for one of the world’s biggest Formula One teams.

While also working as an engine tester for Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team - which is the home of F1 legend Sir Lewis Hamilton - Isla is also carving out a fledgling racing career of her own which started with karting, before earning the keys to her own Formula 3 Monoposto car this year with IMC Motorsport.

Directed by award winning director​, Daibhidh Martin, the programme follows Isla’s journey from her island upbringing and onto the start line of her first ever F3 Monoposto race via her high pressure job in the fast paced world of elite motorsport.

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This 'Our Lives' programme will examine how a woman from Lewis ended up working in the elite field of Formula 1, and reflects on when her own racing dreams began, as we see how she fares behind the wheel herself in her maiden campaign.

Daibhidh and MacTV turn the spotlight on Isla in this insightful and revealing 30-minute episode which is one of twelve in the ‘Our Lives’ series, which detail brand-new stories of ordinary people from across the UK, living in complex and extraordinary ways.

Director Daibhidh Martin said: “It’s been amazing to follow Isla as she starts out on what promises to be a successful racing career.

"She’s a great character with a very bubbly personality, but once the visor goes down she’s definitely a different person, with steely determination and no fear.”

Head of Development at MacTV, Seumas Mactaggart, added: “Being able to tell our stories to a wider UK audience is a key ambition of MacTV’s.

“So we are delighted to have won this network commission and the opportunity to tell Isla’s fantastic story.”

BBC Director of Nations Rhodri Talfan Davies said: “Our Lives is a celebration of remarkable people across the UK – their dreams, aspirations, and their determination to make things happen. Our Lives presents a story of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that is vibrant, passionate and diverse.”

The first episode in Series 7 of Our Lives will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday, June 2, at 7:30 pm with Isla’s episode scheduled for later this summer.