Scotland's booming film industry faces calls for more local hiring

Scotland's landscapes and cities are increasingly popular filming locations — from Outlander and The Odyssey in the Highlands to Glasgow city centre standing in for New York and Gotham City in recent Indiana Jones and Batman films. The sector is growing year on year and is projected to be worth £1bn to the Scottish economy by 2030.

Following the first season of Celebrity Traitors, the BBC said the production had added £21.8m to the Scottish economy since 2022 through employment, supply chain spending and screen tourism.

Local staffing concerns

However, documentary filmmaker and academic Peter Strachan, who founded a campaign group supporting Scotland's screen talent, found that only around 6% of production staff on the third series of The Traitors were Scottish, despite Ofcom quotas requiring the BBC to use 8% of network hours and expenditure in Scotland. Strachan has also called on Sony Pictures to disclose how many local crew were hired in Glasgow for Spiderman: Brand New Day, filmed in the city in 2025, noting that local hiring does not necessarily mean employing the established screen-sector workforce.

David Smith of Screen Scotland acknowledged a consistent decline in shows commissioned from Scottish production companies by public service broadcasters, saying this needs to change.

Tourism pressure

Film-related tourism is also creating challenges. In Glenfinnan, home to the viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter films, police recently warned visitors over dangerous parking and anti-social behaviour. Culloden battlefield, featured in Outlander, saw visitor numbers rise by 43% last year, and a nearby historic stone was temporarily closed in 2023 due to excessive visitor wear.

VisitScotland's Jenni Steele said film tourism brings millions in economic benefits, but acknowledged that success can create challenges in certain locations, prompting the organisation to work with local partners to encourage responsible visits.