Broadcast Magazine – 22 August 2019

18 | Broadcast | 23 August 2019 broadcastnow.co.uk

Scotland welcomes the world

S

uccession, Deadwater Fell, The Victim,

The Cry – the roster of major film and

TV productions filmed or based

in Scotland is growing steadily, helped in

no small part by Screen Scotland.

For executive director Isabel Davis, the

Edinburgh TV Festival, and indeed Edin-

burgh throughout August, is a chance to

show off Scotland, its talent, locations and

its opportunities for producers to become

partners. “It’s the ideal opportunity for the

international industry, and for the London-

based industry, to come and meet Scotland

face to face, and to let them see quite how

much talent there is here,” she says.

Davis has no doubt that the industry in

Scotland is growing, and points to a spike

in internationally recognised talent in the

country. “It’s a year in which The Cry from

Synchronicity Films has really put its

creative director Claire Mundell on the

map,” Davis says. “She’s somebody who

is recognised as being in the top tier of

creative producers, and it’s been great

Since its launch in 2018, Screen Scotland has championed the nation’s talent and

boosted its profile. Executive Director Isabel Davis reflects on a successful first year

to see the success there, and STV Productions

has come through very strongly with BBC

drama The Victim.

“There’s more in the pipeline, given that

there’s been an additional £3m allocated

through Screen Scotland’s new Broadcast

Content Fund alone, which has gone into

development, slates and production –

for example, Happy Tramp North’s big

TV comedy drama series Guilt.”

SCOTTISH TALENT

Davis also notes the success of Screen

Scotland’s Production Growth Fund,

which supports work originating outside

of Scotland, but is still very much rooted

in Scotland and Scottish talent. “The latest

example is Deadwater Fell from Kudos,

which has just wrapped. It shot on location

in Scotland, with lots of Scottish talent and

with David Tennant in the lead. It’s a very

significant series for us to be having in the

country, and to have Screen Scotland

working on that.”

The Edinburgh TV Festival is

the ideal opportunity for the

international industry to come and

meet Scotland face to face and see

how much talent there is here

ISABEL DAVIS

The Victim: STV Productions drama for BBC