Old mansion is perfect location for new drama
Cast and crew love their set
Bannockburn House has played host to a stellar cast of characters down the years.
Bonnie Prince Charlie is believed to have been entertained at the 17th Century Grade A-listed mansion in 1746, following the Battle of Culloden.
And in April, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was given a tour of the property.
But it was the cast of what could be television’s next big drama who visited the house at the weekend to film excerpts for the production and its trailer.
Ex-Bannockburn High pupil Katy Jordan is writer and creator of the film series which is called Boundless and – against a backdrop of Scottish history – brings together two friends,a serial killer and a frantic hunt for missing diamonds.
Katy and her colleagues have been working on Boundless since July, 2015, and more than half is completed.
The 25-year-old graduated from Forth Valley College with a qualification in graphic design but later enrolled at stage school Acting Coach Scotland, in Glasgow.
She has been fulfilling her acting dream while employed as a manager at Lidl in Balmore Road, Bishopbriggs.
Katy said: “Having grown up in Bannockburn, I have known about Bannockburn House all my life.
“I got in touch with Bannockburn House Trust and asked to use the house. Upon agreeing on a date and time frame, they said I could use it if I credited the trust and the house in the production if and when the project is picked up.
“When I showed a picture of the house to everyone involved in the cast, they all thought it was beautiful and a great place for some filming.
“The day we spent there was an absolute blast. We filmed a key scene of our series to insert into our trailer as we get ready to pitch to distributors.
“It’s such a fantastic location, very grand and it feels like a time warp as soon as you walk in. We felt like we should be filming a period drama.”
Katy and her friend Kirsty Peacock play the two main characters and have financed the 12-episode production out of their own pockets and with help of close family including Katy’s parents, Lesley and Philip Jordan, who live in Bannockburn.
Katy estimates that so far it has cost them between £15,000 and £20,000.
Filming of the seven episodes currently completed has been carried out in 37 days over the last two and a half years.
Katy and others working on the production have been contributing to the production during annual leave from other jobs.
Katy explained: “To raise money for Boundless , I was working 60 to 70 hours at Lidl and I was also working nightshift in a hotel but it was making me really ill and I had to give that up.
“I am still working at Lidl but at the end of September, I plan cut my days and work just at the weekend so that I can focus on the production.”
Boundless started as a six-minute play but has expanded over time and up to 37 people have been helping including Johnpaul McGilvray, seen in River City and Taggart, Mark Barrett who featured in the Legend of Barney Thompson and Clique, and Sean Higgs, a Death Race 2 veteran who has worked alongside Meg Ryan and Patrick Swayze.
Filming has taken place in a number of locations including the Alloa home of Katy’s gran, Ina Wright, and Bannockbun Community Centre, and it’s hoped the Wallace Monument and other famous Scottish locations will feature as production continues.
And Katy is optimistic that Boundless will be coming to a television or computer screen near you soon.
She added: “We are now in the home straight and will soon be in a position to pitch to major distributors including STV who are interested.
“We started off with about £5000 for the production and I thought that would be it, but it’s become so much bigger than we could imagine and so many people wanted to get on board.
“We have now reached the stage where everyone is starting to get excited.”
In last week’s Observer, we told how Bannockburn House Trust had raised the £800,000 they need to buy the property and nearby land. They want to turn the house into a community facility.