T2 Trainspotting: What we missed in the deleted scenes

Twenty-eight extra scenes were trimmed from the final cut of Trainspotting 2 '“ but they're all included as extras in the newly released DVD version.
Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle star in T2 Trainspotting. Picture: ContributedEwan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle star in T2 Trainspotting. Picture: Contributed
Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle star in T2 Trainspotting. Picture: Contributed

They include a nostalgic sprint down Princes Street, a fight between rival football hooligans and a kidnapping by Begbie.

Would these have been a welcome addition to Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel, or were they best left on the cutting room floor?

Shoplifting on Princes Street

A scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PAA scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PA
A scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PA
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Spud and Renton visit an Apple store with the intention of buying the former a laptop to write up his stories.

Spud coaxes his old friend into nicking an iPad, and a chase down Princes Street ensues.

The pair run past the Omni Centre to the old train depot in Leith, where they played as youngsters and encountered Begbie’s father.

Despite the film already being heavy on nostalgia, it would have been fantastic to see a repeat of the chase scene which opened the original.

Jonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: APJonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: AP
Jonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: AP

A run-in with football casuals

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Hibernian-supporting Sickboy recalls a run-in with Heart of Midlothian football hooligans following a derby match.

“You remember that time at Tynecastle we got a kicking off those boys and we thought we were dead… we didn’t stop running till we got to Leith.”

A flashback to the fight and the getaway is shown, and both are wearing the green of Hibs.

A scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PAA scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PA
A scene featuring Renton and spud shoplifting followed by a getaway is among the deleted scenes in the film. Picture: PA

The various recollections of youth were among the strongest scenes in the film, and this clip is no different.

Renton meets with Gail

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Renton visits Spud’s ex-girlfriend Gail near the beginning of the film in the hope of tracking down his friend.

The pair share their worries about Spud and Gail tells Renton to pass on the message that both her and her son “still love him”.

Jonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: APJonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: AP
Jonny Lee Miller, left, and Ewan McGregor in a scene from T2: Trainspotting. Picture: AP

Most importantly Gail tells Renton where he might find Spud. This would have gone a long way to explaining why Renton so easily tracked down his hopeless childhood friend.

Begbie kidnaps his lawyer

Begbie visits his lawyer’s house and swiftly ties him up, before reciting diminished responsibility laws which may have seen his sentence reduced.

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The self-styled hardman then locks the lawyer in his basement, before making himself at home.

A further scene of Begbie throwing pieces of food into the tied-up lawyer’s mouth coaxes a chuckle from viewers but not much else. It’s fair to say these scenes wouldn’t have added much.

Spud in Leith and Muirhouse

A montage of shots sees Spud wandering through Leith and Muirhouse Shopping centre contemplating mistakes that have left him at a dead end in life.

In particular, a shot of Persevere Court with the famous mural of Leith life on North Junction Street in the foreground is striking.

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While Edinburgh featured prominently in the film, Leith remained absent apart from a couple of fleeting glimpses. This touching scene of Spud contemplating life would have been a welcome addition to the film.

‘RIP SKAGBOY’

During their run up Arthur’s Seat, Renton and Spud gather rocks and spell out RIP SKAGBOY to symbolise the latter’s move towards a cleaner life.

This is followed by beautiful panoramic shots of Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags.

There were plenty of great shots of Holyrood Park in the sequel, so it’s understandable to see why these were cut.

Renton and Diane

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While recovering from his attack at the hands of Begbie, Mark stays with his former flame Diane, despite barely encountering her since his return.

“Do you ever wonder about me and you if things had been different?” asks Renton.

“No Mark, if you had been different,” she retorts.

These scenes would have just stalled the film. The clean-cut ending in the finished version was far more satisfying.

• This article originally appear in our sister title, i