Outlander helps double value of Scotland's film & TV productions

The value of film and television production to Scotland has almost doubled in the space of four years - to more than Â£50 million for the first time.

By The Newsroom Thursday, 8th December 2016, 11:05 am Updated Wednesday, 14th December 2016, 1:57 pm

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan have been filming Outlander in Scotland for more than three years.

Filming on the American TV series Outlander is thought to be largely responsible for the surge since it started shooting in the autumn of 2013.

However feature films like Tommy’s Honour and Whisky Galore also helped boost the tally to a record Â£52.7 million for 2015, up 15 per cent on the previous 12 months.

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That compares to the Â£27 million that was generated by film and television productions in 2012 - before the vast studio complex for Outlander was created in a former warehouse in Cumbernauld.

National arts agency Creative Scotland today said it expected “a further and significant increase” to be recorded for 2016 thanks to feature films like T2, the Trainspotting sequel, and Churchill, a new big-screen biopic starring Brian Cox.

Filming on the second series of the show, which has deployed locations across Scotland began in April 2015 and production is already underway at the Lanarkshire site on a third series.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This record spend shows that all eyes are on Scotland as the ideal place to base production. Our uniquely beautiful rural areas to bustling urban cityscapes provide excellent backdrops and our highly skilled crews are in hot demand.

“2015 has been a record year and I am determined to keep working with our agencies to support and grow Scotland’s screen sector.

Natalie Usher, director of screen at Creative Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to see that the production spend figures published today show a significant increase on previous years. This proves that Scotland’s talent, crews, facilities and award winning locations continue to be of huge attraction to major international productions.