Dundee’s growing screen industry helps generate £11 million regional boost
- Andrew Batchelor
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Dundee and the wider Tay region are continuing to attract major film and television productions - helping bring millions of pounds into the local economy.
New figures from FifeScreen+TayScreen show that screen productions generated an estimated £11 million economic impact across Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross during 2024/25 and 2025/26.
In simple terms, productions spent around £5.7 million directly in the region over those two years, including money on locations, hotels, food and drink, transport and local suppliers.
Across the same period, filming and production work accounted for 826 production days, showing just how frequently Dundee and surrounding areas are now being used by the film, television and creative industries.
Dundee has already played a major part in that growth.
One of the highest-profile recent productions was California Schemin’, the directorial debut of Scottish actor James McAvoy, which filmed scenes in Dundee.
The production brought film crews into the city and also put Dundee on screen as part of a major new feature film.
Other productions across the wider region have included ITV crime drama Karen Pirie 2, Outlander, Blood of My Blood, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, The Primrose Railway Children, Department Q and Made in Chelsea.
FifeScreen+TayScreen says the value of productions goes beyond the money spent while crews are actually here.
Films and television programmes can also encourage people to visit places they have seen on screen - a growing tourism trend sometimes described as “set-jetting”.
That means locations featured in productions can continue benefiting long after filming has finished, particularly if viewers become interested in visiting the places they recognise from television or cinema.
For Dundee, that could become increasingly important as the city continues to build its profile as a destination for creative industries.
The city already has a strong connection with video games, design and digital creativity, and attracting more film and television productions adds another element to that story.
Across the wider Fife and Tay region, annual production spending reached £2.9 million in 2024/25 and £2.8 million in 2025/26.
That represents an overall increase of around 20% compared with 2023/24.
The figures suggest that despite major changes and challenges affecting the UK film and television industry, demand for locations across Dundee, Fife and Perthshire remains strong.
And every production that chooses Dundee or the surrounding area has the potential to create a wider benefit - from hotel stays and restaurant spending to local jobs, suppliers and tourism promotion.
