Small screen stars and TV crews descended on a north-east town this week to shoot a major two-part adaptation of an Iain Banks novel.
Stonemouth was one of the much-loved author’s final works before he died from cancer last year and producers have transformed Macduff into the titular port.
The brooding novel is a rite-of-passage tale of a man returning to his hometown years after he was run out it by a criminal gang and the TV adaptation boasts a cast including Peterhead-born actor Peter Mullan.
As the week-long location shoot came to a close yesterday, executive producer Christopher Aird spoke to the Press and Journal about Macduff’s starring role.
He said: “Part of the story is about Stuart coming back to somewhere he has been ejected from, but it’s also nostalgic, it’s about lost youth.
“We’re creating a place where this group of people grew up together and they had a really, really good time right up until tragedy strikes.
“We wanted Stonemouth to be a place people wanted to be. It looks great.
“Stonemouth is obviously a fictional town, but people who know this part of the world will see a lot of Macduff on screen.”
Mr Aird – who is also working on a third series of acclaimed Scottish drama Shetland – revealed he had met Iain Banks at the outset of the production.
“He absolutely gave the project his backing. It’s just such a great shame he’s never going to see it,” he added.
Locations manager Michael Higson scouted numerous seaside towns across Scotland in his hunt for Stonemouth before settling on the Banff Bay fishing port.
He said: “I’ve been to Macduff before and I’ve been along this coast several times. I knew pretty much straightaway it was going to be here. It’s very photogenic with the height and the working harbour.
“It seemed an obvious choice even when I first scouted it. We also visited Stonehaven, Peterhead and Fraserburgh but Macduff was the standout location.
“We’ve had a better response from the people of Macduff than we do in the central belt. There’s an enthusiasm here for it that we don’t get down there, perhaps because there’s a novelty value.
“People have been without exception welcoming and helpful and the council have bent over backwards to facilitate us.”
Stonemouth will air next spring.