Edinburgh Napier University

  This paper examines the impact of the high-end television (HETV) series Outlander on the Scottish film and television production sector, particularly the development and sustainability of careers within the sector’s freelance workforce. Filmed both on location and in a converted studio in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, since 2013, Outlander was the first major production in Scotland to benefit from the HETV tax relief scheme introduced by the UK government in the same year, aimed at attracting high-budget foreign productions to the country. Running for seven seasons so far, the series has employed numerous Scottish-based crews over the years and served as a training ground for newcomers via a regular traineeship programme, co-funded by the producers and local sectorial agencies. Based on analysis of crew credit lists from the series and career biographies of crew personnel, the paper shows how Outlander has helped with the expansion, skills diversification and new talent development of the Scottish-based freelance workforce. The paper also discusses Outlander’s contribution to infrastructure investments in the sector and the recent establishment of Scotland as a new international hub for HETV.