There’s always a sense of excitement and anticipation when a film crew arrives in a small community and the locals get the opportunity to take part as extras in a new TV drama.
So it’s hardly surprising Auchtermuchty folk responded positively to learning that STV producers had chosen their home town to stand in for Tannochbrae during the shooting of a new series of Dr Finlay’s Casebook in 1992.
The programme had been a staple of the schedules since the 1960s when the original cast featured Bill Simpson in the title role, Andrew Cruickshank as his craggy mentor Dr Angus Cameron and Barbara Mullen as the duo’s unflappable housekeeper and receptionist Janet McPherson.
The show trumped an assassination
Although the adaptation irked author A J Cronin, on whose novella Country Doctor it was based, it still attracted a loyal following for many years.
Indeed, even after the assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas on November 22 1963, the BBC screened Dr Finlay’s Casebook as part of its regular programming.
There were reportedly more 2,000 phone calls complaining about the decision, yet regulars were glued to their screens for most of the original episodes, which continued until 1971.
However, two decades later, when a new version was being prepared, it was time to find a proper setting and location scouts searched for the right place.
They found what they were looking for in the Fife community and 30 years ago this week, TV cameras and production crew arrived in force to begin work on the prestigious series with a cast of well-known faces including David Rintoul, Jason Flemyng, Ian Bannen and Annette Crosbie.
The action had been updated to the 1940s with the script following the fortunes of Dr John Finlay after his return from serving in the Second World War. Early storylines focused on the creation of the new NHS and the modernisation of the medical practice at Arden House in Tannochbrae.
And The Courier was there to capture the launch of the hectic filming schedule and talk to some of the residents who were quite obviously relishing the chance to rub shoulders with some big-name actors.
It reported on July 20: “Many local people turned out as outdoor scenes for the six-part production were committed to celluloid. Annette Crosbie, star of the hit comedy One Foot in the Grave, was at the centre of the filming which took place in the High Street Square.
“Her co-star David Rintoul, who plays the titular hero Dr Finlay, was also involved in the action yesterday. Filming started at around 9am and it will continue until the end of the week with other scenes to be shot later.
“Many of the shops have been altered inside and outside to fit in with the post-war austerity setting. The post office has been changed into a pub, a council building has become the Tannochbrae branch of the Union Bank of Scotland and the old Co-op has become the retailers Grieves & Son.
“The filming will involve some 200 local people who will appear as extras.
“In addition, vintage cars and vans, a horse and trap and other old-fashioned features have been drafted in to complete the look.
“The High Street will remain closed throughout the filming process and Dr Finlay makers Scottish Television will return to Auchtermuchty in October.”
Residents were impressed at the speed with which the crew managed to remove any modern markings and take their community back to the 1940s.
Dorothy Lothian, who lived in the town, said she has been a great fan of the original 1960s programme and was “delighted” it was being revived.
And Georgina McCulloch, who regularly travelled to Auchtermuchty from her home in nearby Dunshalt added: “It’s very exciting to be involved in something like this and it’s something new for the town.”
Set builders had spent the previous fortnight constructing convincing props, while other crew members worked assiduously on turning back the clock.
Their efforts proved worthwhile as their cast members turned up in the second half of July and the likes of Rintoul, Bannen and Crosbie were spotted walking through their transformed streets and properties.
Their presence also offered a boon to the local economy and some of the tradespeople spoke of how it could provide a boost to the area.
Postmaster James McCrossan confirmed that people were already in contact about arranging visits to Tannochbrae’s alter ego.
He told The Courier: “We are definitely hoping that it will bring an increase in tourists. Other places where programmes have been filmed such as Blair Atholl [which featured in the TV series Treasure Hunt in 1989], have certainly benefitted and we hope it is the same for us.
“It’s interesting to have seen the Post Office being changed into a pub and the [neighbouring] town hall becoming a police station.”
The Courier pointed out that the north-east of Scotland was becoming increasingly popular with TV and film executives and highlighted the diverse range of work which had been shot on location in the region.
This included everything from Mel Gibson and Glenn Close appearing in Franco Zeffirelli’s version of Hamlet at Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven to Dundee doubling for Moscow in the renowned BBC TV film An Englishman Abroad with Coral Browne and Alan Bates.
The latter led to such iconic Dundee buildings as Caird Hall and Dundee High School being used for the real-life story of how Browne had met the notorious British spy Guy Burgess in the Russian capital.
But these were one-off projects. Dr Finlay’s Casebook lasted longer.
Eventually, four series and 27 episodes were produced of the new drama, which was broadcast until 1996 and gained a significant audience, even though it tackled grittier issues than in the original tales from the 60s.
The film-makers also used the Dumgoyne Peak and Loch Lomond as supposedly local backdrops although these were not close to Auchtermuchty.
Ultimately, the quality of the cast, scripts and scenery gained their reward when the programme was shown internationally and given pride of place in the United States on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre.
And while many Americans may struggle to pronounce Auchtermuchty, they have at least warmed to its charms on their television screens!
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