08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh brothers who rowed across the Atlantic tell their story in new STV documentary
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Edinburgh brothers who crossed the Atlantic in a 28-foot-boat are featuring in a new documentary that tells their story.
The Maclean Brothers, who are currently on another journey across the Pacific Ocean, set out on their 3,000-mile Atlantic journey back in 2019 with no rowing experience. The STV documentary tells their tale of family, positivity and adventure.
Out of Our Depth: Three Brothers in a Boat includes candid recounts from the brothers, including stories of seasickness and slapstick.
Speaking from the middle of the Pacific, 33-year-old Ewan Maclean, the eldest brother, said: 'It was all completely new to us. You know what it's like - you have an idea and you just get carried away. We were working, studying, juggling other things.
'It was eye-opening watching the documentary and realising how much we've changed. Our preparations really were piss poor. In many ways, watching it was a wake up call. If we're going to row an ocean three times as long as the Atlantic, we couldn't go into it half-cocked.
'We're so grateful to Lost Clock. They've told our story - and continue to tell our story - in the most incredible way. Before we left, we watched it with our family and friends. There was everything from roaring laughter to genuine tears.'
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Their Atlantic journey broke three world records, as they became the first trio of brothers to row any ocean. They were also the fastest, and youngest, trio to row the Atlantic.
Jamie Maclean, 31, said: 'I don't think people ever experience the clarity of thought you get at sea in normal life. It changed the direction of our lives. We thought it would be a one-off adventure, but it made us re-evaluate our purpose. We realised we wanted to do something together and make a real impact.
"Everything we're doing now is in service of providing clean water to communities living in poverty - especially in Madagascar, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.'
Youngest brother Lachlan (26) added: 'It was emotional watching the documentary with Mum. It made us really think about how our choices affect others. We've always been close as a family, but this brought us even closer.
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'It's a strange feeling seeing your life played back to you. There were definitely embarrassing moments, but we couldn't have imagined it would turn out the way it did.
'We've got a laptop with us, so we're going to re-watch it today. It's the one bit of TV we're letting ourselves watch for 100+ days. That probably sounds egotistical to be watching ourselves - but honestly, it'll be emotional and it's a great way to see our family while we're thousands of miles away. Importantly there's only one episode, which means no risk of a binge-watch derailing the row.'
Richard Williams, Managing Director of Digital at STV, added: "The Maclean brothers are a truly inspirational group of Scots and their story of perseverance in the face of adversity is one that I know STV Player viewers will be totally gripped by. Giving a platform to homegrown stories like this is important to us, and every incredible twist and turn of the trio's heroic charity row is streaming now for free.'
