Screen Academy Scotland alumni and trainees work on big budget thriller

Date posted

3 March 2017

08:36

Last updated

2 December 2025

When BBC Three’s new drama Clique appears on screens for the first time this Sunday, it won’t just feature Edinburgh Napier’s Craiglockhart campus. Several University graduates will also feature in the credits, having secured important production roles on the big budget series.

Clique is a brand new six-part thriller which sees two best friends drawn into an elite clique of alpha girls during their first weeks at university in Edinburgh.

Created by Jess Brittain (Skins) and Balloon Production’s Harry Enfield and Bryan Elsley, its production has been supported in part by a team of seven alumni and trainees from Screen Academy Scotland; a unique collaboration between Edinburgh Napier and Edinburgh College of Art dedicated to fostering the future of film makers.
Craiglockhart's guest appearance...

Alumni Matthew Brown, a graduate from the MA Screen Project Development, is production manager on Clique, with Kirstie Swain, a graduate of the PG Cert Screenwriting (online), working alongside Jess Brittain as one of three writers on the drama. MA in Screenwriting alumna Lindsay McGee, who produced BAFTA New Talent award-winning Hula, is also an assistant props on the eagerly-anticipated programme.

Alongside the three alumni, there are also four Screen NETS trainees involved with its production. Mihail Ursu was selected at this year’s Screen NETS camera trainee, Kirsty Dyer as production trainee, Kal Singhlally as post production trainee and Lyndsay Tannahill as locations trainee. All four are gaining valuable on-the-job training and experience through their involvement with Clique.

Run by Screen Academy Scotland’s Kay Sheridan, Screen NETS is a partnership between SAS, Edinburgh Napier, Hit the Ground Running, BECTU and Creative Scotland which delivers routes in to the film and TV industries through work experience and short course training programmes.


Alistair Scott, director of Screen Academy Scotland, is delighted to see the film academy so highly-represented across the drama’s production team.

He said: “Our graduates are a key part of the growing pool of creative talent for film and high-end television production in Scotland. Thanks to Balloon Productions, Clique has been a fantastic opportunity here on our doorstep in Edinburgh for both well-established graduates and for new entrants getting vital professional experience.”

Similar to T2 Trainspotting, Clique is set in and around the city of Edinburgh and features many of its most recognisable landmarks, including Edinburgh Napier’s own Craiglockhart campus. It will follow the story of characters Georgia and Holly as they are taken by lecturer Jude McDermid into a world filled with lavish parties, populated by Edinburgh’s highest-powered business men and women. It will be available through BBC iPlayer from 10am on Sunday 5 March.
Screen Academy Scotland

Screen Academy Scotland at Edinburgh Napier University  is one of Scotland’s leading screen practice educators. We have a broad range of facilities available to students, for full production and post-production, including screening rooms, Avid Media Composer suites, Pro Tool suites, a dubbing suite and up-to-date camera equipment.