Spotlight on Glasgow filming locations thanks to new book
TV fans are being given the chance to visit some of Scotland’s most famous filming locations following the launch of a new guide book.
Glasgow has some of the mustsee places that “set-jetters” should visit, thanks to the huge success of shows including Taggart, Outlander, Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game.
Produced by VisitScotland, the book, ‘TV set in Scotland’, is dedicated to Helensburgh-born inventor and engineer John Logie Baird who is considered one of the fathers of television and the first to show TV pictures to the world.
Fondly remembered for its catchphrase “there’s been a murder”, filming for the UK’s longest-running TV crime drama, Taggart, took place across Glasgow with the original title card of the show using a panoramic shot taken from the summit of the Cathkin Braes to the south of the city.
In later years, a shot of the city centre was taken from The Lighthouse – Scotland’s national centre for design and architecture – on Mitchell Lane.
The Finnieston Crane, an iconic monument to Glasgow’s shipping heritage, features in the last segment one of the most critically-acclaimed films within the British documentary film movement, Night Mail.
Despite being set in Govan, Rab C Nesbitt, the sitcom about the beloved drunken street philosopher, was actually filmed in the Two Ways pub at the end of Argyle Street. Johnny Depp used the show to perfect his Scottish accent when playing the Mad Hatter.
Still Game, the Scottish sitcom following the misadventures of Jack and Victor, is set in the fictional Craiglang area of Glasgow.
However, the Maryhill district of the city is one of the most common filming locations.
Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager at VisitScotland, described how the list of television shows and locations featured in the book “is not exhaustive,” adding: “This fun and informative guide, which contains firm fan favourites alongside little-known gems, serves as a starting point for visitors wishing to explore the many on-screen locations and nearby attractions. “The impact of filmmaking in Scotland goes far beyond production spend. Scotland’s appearances on TV have the potential to reach huge global audiences and, with research finding one in five visitors are inspired to visit after seeing it on-screen, the opportunities for the tourism industry are immense.”
The book is available free of charge in attractions and VisitScotland iCentres throughout the country and for download at