Feature film and scripted TV productions generated £10m for Edinburgh in 2019

New figures from Film Edinburgh show that the economic impact from film and TV production in the region was around £10m over the last year. 

The stats cover Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders during 2019 with the total revenue boost being £14.4m from 340 filmed productions. 

The rest of this total - an increase of 153% on 2018 - was made up of spend from factual/light entertainment, which brought in £750,000 and commercials/corporate content at £3.3m. 

The hefty contribution from scripted projects across features and high-end TV drama came from titles such as Fast & Furious 9, which employed 1440 locals including around 850 supporting artists as well as a wide range of crew, service-providers, facilities, transport and accommodation. 

Filming on Fast & Furious 9 took place over 19 days last September across 11 parts of the city, with a further 68 days prep and strike. In total, the economic impact of the film to the city of Edinburgh was £5.2m, nearly a third of the overall total for scripted content. 

Rosie Ellison, head of Film Edinburgh, said: “The figures for 2019 are testament to Edinburgh’s production workforce, the region’s film-friendly attitude, and the fantastic range of locations within a short distance of Scotland’s capital city. 

“With a film studio on the horizon, we can look forward to more consistency within the film & TV employment market and more opportunities for our local economy to benefit.”

Other projects to film in Edinburgh during 2019 included: Will Ferrell’s feature Eurovision; Julian Fellowes’ drama Belgravia (which used various locations to double for London); Outlander 5; Vera 10; Elizabeth is Missing and The Princess Switch 2.