The series The Traitors has helped with continuing generating millions of pounds for the Highland economy from TV and Film industries. Following another success, this production supports filming in the local region helping market its reputation as a filming location. The Traitors production company, Studio Lambert Scotland, aided in finding the perfect location spot as well as finding local crew and services.
The Traitors filmed at Ardross Castle in Ross-shire (featured above) and peaked with 3.7 million viewers. Thanks to the beautiful landscape, the landmark castle itself, and the feature of ‘murder’ on the show quickly brought tourism to the Highlands. This generated £3 million in 2022, and status reports for 2023 are supposed to be published early in the following year with an expected similar growth for the region. It has been confirmed that features in the Highlands will feature on several screen projects in 2024 despite the strikes that took place during the majority of 2023.
“Despite the Writers Guild of America writers’ strike this year, Highland has still had several high-profile projects film in the region which will be announced in due course. Due to the diverse scenery in the Highlands, these projects cover a huge range of genres… With a few projects already in the works for 2024, we are pleased the Highlands are continuing to be a popular choice with filmmakers.”
Mr. Gowans, councillor on the Highland council’s economy and infrastructure committee, stated.
Why is filming on location so important? You can capture most of the background shots independently and ‘add it in post’. However, making millions from filming in the Highlands allows income to go to local crew, accommodations, catering, and of course brings in more tourism for longer-term endeavours. Some of the most notable filming locations are of course the Glenfinnan Viaduct (top left) (commonly known as the train scenes in the Harry Potter films and voted Britain’s best film location by Virgin Media), Glen Coe (top right) (featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and Glen Etive (bottom) (the location of the Skyfall house in James Bond: Skyfall) to name a few.
The Highlands have portrayed beautiful landscapes that make you travel back in time or to far away mythical places. Some of the most notable film and TV productions that filmed out in the Highlands multiple times are The Crown, the Harry Potter series, Outlander, Mary Queen of Scots, Highlander, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Highlands are expected to continue to be a popular spot to film due to the rise in demand for period pieces, fantasy series, and time travel series. The Highlands can accommodate all of these thanks to the Highlands of Scotland Film Commission. The company offers information on locations, permissions needed, contact information for local cast, crew, and facilities for production companies.