Film and TV spending in Scotland reaches record high

Spending on film and TV production in Scotland hit a record high of almost £70 million last year, with a surge of more than 30%, according to new figures.

T2 Trainspotting helped lift production spending in Scotland. Picture: Contributed

Numbers from Creative Scotland show spend in 2016 reached £69.4 million - a £16.7 million increase on the previous year.

Productions shot in the country last year include The Wife, Calibre, T2 Trainspotting, Outlander, The Etruscan Smile, In Plain Sight and The Loch.

Natalie Usher, director, screen at Creative Scotland, said: “It is extremely encouraging to see the significant and continued rise in Scotland’s production spend figures.

“The continued growth in production spend is testament to our world class talent, crews, facilities and award-winning locations.”

Since 2007, spend has increased more than 200% from £23 million and is now at its highest ever level.

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The First Minister announced on Tuesday an additional £10 million for the industry in the Programme for Government, bringing investment to £20 million next year.

A dedicated screen unit will also be established within Creative Scotland, to coordinate existing and new public sector investment and resources more effectively.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures show Scotland’s film and TV industry is stronger than ever. This is good news for our cultural story while bringing significant benefits to the wider economy.

“Production companies are attracted here because of our stunning locations and talented people. The additional investment announced this week will help consolidate this growth, enabling us to strengthen and better coordinate public sector support for the film and TV sector.”

The figures were calculated using an accumulation of those supplied by the Scottish Locations Network, plus information from Creative Scotland’s production enquiries database.