The planned Pentland Studios complex will give Scotland the opportunity to “climb back to the top rung of UK production clusters if it can attract high-end TV”, according to British Film Commission chair Iain Smith.

Smith said that the facility, which will be built outside Edinburgh, will attract high-end film projects, but highlighted Outlander (pictured) and Game Of Thrones, which is made in Northern Ireland, as models to emulate.

“It has taken time to get to this point, but we have to put that frustration behind us,” said Smith. “Now is when the hard work begins. Simply having a studio is fine, but you’ve got to go out and compete for market share.”

There is no sign that the demand for UK stage space is set to diminish, and a report commissioned by the Greater London Authority into the feasibility of a studio at Dagenham is pending.

Smith said: “Demand for space and for technical infrastructure is pressing on us all the time. Scotland has been undercapacitated, but a studio means the UK as a whole can retain production that might otherwise locate elsewhere.”

The Scottish government granted in principal planning permission for Pentland Studios last week.

Topics