Outlander producer calls on Scotland to build film industry

The producer of hit TV show Outlander has called for Scotland to have the 'political will' to build a film and TV industry.

Filming for the fourth season of Outlander is underway in Glasgow

David Brown said a change in outlook is needed to move from being an off-shoot of the London industry and capitalise in the boom in productions needed driven by the streaming.

Giving evidence to Holyrood’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee today, he said: “If you attract more of these shows, the knock on effect is incremental.”

Mr Brown added: “Political will is about shifting that gear, changing that perception and saying as a nation and as a country we want to build that industry

“And it’s our choice. You can let continue as a kind of a victim industry, that’s always got its hands out, always saying we need more, we need special breaks or you can shift the gear and attract businesses like Outlander.

“If you have two or three Outlanders here, the amount of inward investment is staggering.

“It’s not just the building ... it’s about you in government saying ‘no, we want to change it, we want an industry. We don’t want to be an off-shoot from London’.”

Film City Glasgow director Tiernan Kelly told the committee he believed there was a case for public sector intervention, pointing to the successful development in Manchester facilitated by the local authority.

Members also heard from Jim O’Donnell, director of development for the company behind the Pentland Studio planned for the outskirts of Edinburgh.

He called for a investment in a film fund staff by people who could take decisions, saying efforts so far had “failed”.

He told the committee the target date for completing the sound stage and workshop space at Pentland is the third quarter of 2019, enabling filming to take place.

Office space and a film academy are due to be finished the following year.