ANDREW BATCHELOR: Dundee should be used more in film & TV

The TV drama Traces was recently released on BBC iPlayer and it was wonderful to see Dundee landmarks make a welcome return in the show, from the Law to Broughty Castle, and the Tay road bridge to V&A Dundee.

A lot of folk did however make me aware again that a lot of it wasn’t filmed in Dundee and joked that the reason the programme was called Traces was because there were “hardly any traces of Dundee in it”.

But even so, Dundee as a setting on a TV show is something that feels weird, but in a good way – whether it’s watching Daniel MacAfee trying to stop a criminal at Broughty Ferry beach, or Logan Roy having a reception hosted at the V&A.

Future Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa on stage at Dundee Rep in 2014 playing Robert in Cars and Boys with Catherine (Ann Louise Ross). Image: Viktoria Begg/Dundee Rep

Some breakout stars started their careers by being in productions that were filmed in Dundee.

One such example being Ncuti Gatwa, who landed his first TV role as a customer at Bob’s burger van in Bob Servant, before appearing in the hit feature Barbie, and playing the latest Doctor Who with the new series broadcast next month.

So, why aren’t we doing more to promote the city as a top spot for television and film productions?

Visual effects lab could be starting point

It was a few years ago when Dundee sadly lost out to Edinburgh to be the first city in Scotland to have a purpose-built film and TV studio.

Proposals were put in place by Studio City Scotland to build a state-of-the-art television and film studio in the city’s Claverhouse Industrial Park back in 2015, but alas it wasn’t meant to be.

Although we lost out, Dundee hasn’t given up on that industry.

Not too long ago, the city was dubbed as an “emerging global tech hub” in relation to the news about the new developments that were announced to take place at City Quay, most prominently at the Water’s Edge development.

Artist impressions of the lab. Image: Nicoll Russell Studios

This was due to a new visual effects facility that is set to be built within the development to be operated by Abertay University, which will help boost Dundee’s economy.

But I don’t believe we should stop there. Why not press even more and campaign for Dundee to be a hub for television and film in Scotland?

I think it is something that should be reignited because the prospect of having one a decade ago was very exciting.

I believe Dundee is definitely a place that needs to be utilised more as a hub for television and film production, and who knows, that one day may be the case.

It is fantastic to see the new visual effects lab be a starting point for the city to hop onto this industry.