Minister Lisa Nandy in ‘rocket booster’ pledge to creative industries after Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone calls for greater support for Highland film and TV productions
“Rocket boosters” will be put under the creative industries, a minister has vowed after a local MP called for more support for north Highland film productions.
Jamie Stone, the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, spoke in Westminster this week to say that more needs to be done to build on the Highlands’ film successes like BBC One smash The Traitors, and encourage production teams to use the region’s locations in movies and on TV.
Speaking to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Labour MP LIsa Nandy, he said he wanted to make sure the Highlands’ beauty “is shared with the rest of the world”.
According to VisitScotland, film, TV and literature were a source of inspiration for one in five visitors to Scotland in 2023, and in 2022, their research found that there had been £64.9 million spent by visitors at Scottish businesses as a direct result of activities related to screen tourism.
In the past, the Highlands has been used for productions as diverse as Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, James Bond film No Time to Die, Netflix’s ‘The Crown’, and BBC One’s ‘The Traitors’, the latter of which is filmed in and around Ardross Castle in Easter Ross.
Responding to Mr Stone's request, Ms Nandy agreed with the “enormous value of Scotland and the attraction of investing there”, and assured him that the government would 'do everything we can' to support these endeavours.
She replied: “[Mr Stone] is absolutely right to draw attention to Scotland’s huge cultural assets. I was pleased to meet with my Scottish Government counterpart when I visited the Edinburgh Fringe over the summer. I know from the international investment summit, which the Government convened earlier this week, that partners like Netflix, and many other international investors, see the enormous value of Scotland and the attraction of investing there. This government will do everything we can to support that, and we will put rocket boosters under the creative industries in Scotland.
Commenting afterwards, Mr Stone said: “When it comes to finding beautiful filming locations - you don't have to look further than the Highlands.
“Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross is vast and breathtakingly beautiful, we want to make sure that this is shared with the rest of the world.
“That is why I want to ensure that both governments are doing everything they can to bolster the Far North as a location for production companies to use. Not only does it massively benefit our local economies, it also shares our culture with the rest of the world.
“The value of our soft power should not be underestimated. I want to see the government take pride in our union.”