Edinburgh Napier University

  The launch of Channel 4 in 1982 coincided with a period of fundamental change in the Scottish film and television sector. Prior to that, local production activity in Scotland had been limited. The institutional landscape to foster indigenous filmmaking had yet to be developed, and the local freelance workforce was modest in numbers. Channel 4 from the outset proved to be a crucial source of finance to kickstart new forms of indigenous production in Scotland. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it commissioned local work across all television genres and supported the production of a range of Scottish narrative features, bringing a new array of opportunities for local screen professionals. The article examines the impact of the first two decades of Channel 4 productions on the development of the Scottish freelance film and television workforce. Based on analysis of crew credit lists from productions of this period, in particular the Scottish feature films from the 1980s backed by Channel 4, career biographies of individuals who worked on those projects, and data from the annual Film Bang directory of Scottish-based freelance crew personnel, the article shows how Channel 4 helped to promote not only the expansion of the local freelance pool, but also their skills diversification. The article also looks at how some of these professionals managed to expand their career pathways beyond Scotland over time and reflect on the legacy of these early projects for the current Scottish sector in terms of local talent development.