Film and TV shoots reel in a record £52.7million

FILM and TV producers spent a record £52.7million shooting in Scotland last year, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said yesterday.

The figure is up from £45.8million in 2014 and more than double the £23million spent in 2007.

The Scottish Government said it was working with Creative Scotland to support international productions and Scottish producers working north of the Border, with successes including Trainspotting T2, Outlander, Churchill and Sunset Song.

Miss Hyslop made the announcement after meeting the crew of The Wife, a film starring Glenn Close and Christian Slater.

Speaking from the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian, where filming was taking place, she said: ‘This record spend shows all eyes are on Scotland as the ideal place to base production.

‘Our beautiful rural areas and urban cityscapes provide excellent backdrops and our highly skilled crews are in hot demand. I am determined to keep working with our agencies to support and grow Scotland’s screen sector.’

Scotland’s biggest investment comes from the first series of hit TV drama Outlander, which began filming in Scotland in 2013 and had an estimated budget of £36million. The show used a number of film locations including Perthshire and Fife.