FAIR ISLES: Scottish islands on film

As the latest series of Shetland (9pm, BBC1) continues, we round up four films that have made wonderful use of their Scottish island settings…

Whisky Galore! (1949) Ealing comedy based on real events – a 1941 shipwreck off the Hebridean island of Eriskay – that moves the action to fictional Todday. A ship runs aground with 50,000 cases of whisky on board, tempting the locals (including Basil Radford, left), whose supply has recently run out. It was filmed on Barra.

When Eight Bells Toll (1971) Following the hunt for a hijacked cargo ship carrying gold bullion, this thriller is based on Alistair MacLean’s 1965 novel. MacLean based the fictional setting of Torbay on Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull, and filming took place on Mull and nearby Staffa. Anthony Hopkins (left) stars.

The Wicker Man (1973) Cult horror set on the fictional island of Summerisle, where Edward Woodward’s mainland policeman falls foul of Christopher Lee’s Lord Summerisle (above). Filming took place all over Scotland, including Whithorn and the Isle of Skye.

The Decoy Bride (2011) This romcom finds Hollywood actress Lara Tyler (Alice Eve) fleeing to the fictional island of Hegg to avoid the paparazzi as she tries to marry her Scottish boyfriend (David Tennant). Kelly Macdonald (right) plays a local girl who fills in at the altar. The film was shot in Scotland, as well as on the Isle of Man.