INSIDE OUTLANDER
Behind the scenes of the global hit TV sensation
SCOTLAND’S biggest city is to get a starring role in the global TV phenomenon Outlander. However, Glasgow won’t be playing itself, but acting as a standin for Boston, home of the Tea Party and the Red Sox.
The much-anticipated third series of the show, which tells the story of the time-travelling romance between English rose Claire and her Jacobite lover Jamie Fraser, is now shooting on location across Glasgow.
A large part of the third series will be set in the 20th century in Boston – and Glasgow’s city streets have been deemed a neat match for the Massachusetts city.
Dowanhill Street in Glasgow’s west end is one of the streets doubling as an upmarket Boston thoroughfare as Scotland continues to cash in on the popularity of the series made by US company Starz.
Caitriona Balfe who plays Claire and Sam Heughan who plays Jamie – along with a cast of extras, who have already been fitted for mid-20th century American garb at production studios in Cumbernauld – have been flitting around the city this week in between shoots.
Other shoots have taken place on Glasgow University’s historic main campus. Though access was restricted, the crew’s cherry-picker – and sightings of Balfe looking pregnant and in modern costume – turned plenty of heads while a spokesman for the university admitted that “Twitter went nuts”.
The university’s spires will double for Harvard, Boston’s Ivy League university which features in Voyager, the third book of the series by Diana Gabaldon and a favourite with fans. Though the book starts in 1968, the TV series will start in the late 1940s before skipping on 20 years.
While many interiors, including those set in Claire’s 1960s Boston apartment, will be shot on detailed and intricate sets created at the Cumbernauld studios, others will be filmed in the less glamorous location of Springburn in the north of the city, inside a disused college. And while costumes will still feature plenty of 18th-century kilts and bodice-ripping gowns, costume designer Terry Dresbach says that sixties mini skirts will also feature for the first time too.
Ann Laird, convenor of Friends of Glasgow West, confirmed that locals had been consulted on film- ing plans. She said: “While some of these buildings from 100 years ago have been demolished in the States they are in great condition over here. We’re extremely pleased to be included as part of this season and to promote the beautiful architecture that the west end has to offer.”
Glasgow has been used for Outlander filming before. Previous locations include Pollok Park, Glasgow Cathedral, George Square and the streets around Glasgow City Chambers.
Hamish Walker, production executive of the Glasgow Film Office, which has helped support location scouts and liaised to ensure filming ran smoothly, said that lots of behind-the-scenes work was essential when filming such a big production in residential areas.
“It’s a delicate balance but we’ve been working closely with community councils and residents’ groups,” he said. “Glasgow can cope with any period within reason and this one shows another string to our bow.”
While he admits that worldwide audiences may not immediately recognise Glasgow’s streets, Martin Breslin, partnership executive of VisitScotland, claimed careful marketing meant Outlander film locations were helping drive a new wave of tourism.
Visitor numbers to locations associated with heritage and romance are significantly up, with an increase of 44 per cent to Doune Castle, near Stirling and of 28 per cent to Blackness Castle, near Edinburgh – both of which appear in Outlander.
“We and our partners do a lot to establish the connection between the images seen on screen and the real life locations,” he said.
As well as a downloadable map on the VisitScotland site, several tour operators are now offering “Outlander tours”, starting from either Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Glasgow’s architecture has secured the city a number of recent starring roles including 2013 Hollywood horror blockbuster World War Z, featuring Brad Pitt, and Under The Skin (also 2013) in which Scarlett Johansson’s murderous alien stalks the Merchant City for her victims. In Cloud Atlas, with Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent, Douglas Street’s steep descent from Blythswood Hill made it a perfect stand-in for the hills of San Francisco.
Frank McAveety, Glasgow City Council leader, said the growing popularity of Glasgow as a film location has helped to generate over £250 million of economic activity in the city since the Glasgow Film Office was set up in 1997. “It is great to see a world-renowned TV show returning to Glasgow, and we look forward to many more major productions coming to the city in the future,” he added.
While some of these buildings from 100 years ago have been demolished in the States they are in great condition here in Glasgow. We’re pleased to be included as part of this season and to promote the beautiful architecture that the west end has to offer