THE growing popularity of Scotland as a location for films and television dramas has been reflected in figures that showed production companies spent a record £52.7 million in the country last year.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the amount was up from £45.8m in 2014, and more than double the £23m spent by firms in 2007.

She made the announcement after meeting the crew working on a forthcoming film The Wife, which will star Hollywood’s Glenn Close and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce, while they were on location at the National Museum of Flight, East Lothian.

“This record spend shows that all eyes are on Scotland as the ideal place to base production,” she said.

“Our uniquely beautiful rural areas and bustling urban cityscapes provide excellent backdrops and our highly skilled crews are in hot demand.

“I met local crew members Evonne, Caroline and Ruaraidh as well as the producer and director on The Wife, who were not only enthusiastic about what Scotland has to offer the film sector, but what the film sector is doing for Scotland and our trainees.”

The Scottish Government has been working with Creative Scotland to support large-scale international productions and Scottish producers working in Scotland in recent years.

Successes include films and television dramas Trainspotting T2, Outlander, Churchill, Sunset Song and Macbeth.

Piers Tempest, producer of The Wife and Churchill, said: “With the support of Creative Scotland and the production growth fund, we had an extremely positive experience filming Churchill in Scotland earlier this year, and it really felt like the natural place to bring The Wife, which is currently in production in Glasgow.”

Natalie Usher, director of screen at Creative Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to see that the production spend figures published today show a significant increase on previous years.

“This proves that Scotland’s talent, crews, facilities and award-winning locations continue to be of huge attraction to major international productions.

“In the last year we have seen Sony Starz [producers of Outlander] maintain their commitment to a large-scale production base at Cumbernauld, we welcomed Jason Connery’s feature film Tommy’s Honour and it was great to see our wonderful capital city double for Victorian London in the landmark BBC series The Secret Agent.

“Together with the UK’s beneficial film and TV tax reliefs, and the additional incentives provided by Scotland’s production growth fund, we fully expect the 2016 figures to show a further and significant increase.”

Based on the novel The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, the film is directed by Golden Bear winner Bjorn Runge, from a screenplay by Jane Anderson.

Close plays Joan Castleman, the perfect “alpha wife” who has spent 40 years sacrificing her own talent and ambitions to fan the flames of her charismatic husband Joe [Pryce] and his literary career, and ignoring his infidelities. But as Joe prepares to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, Joan reaches breaking point and their pact unravels.

Outlander, based on the historical fantasy novels by the US writer Diana Gabaldon, has also given the Scots creative sector a huge boost since filming began here in 2013.

The third series is being filmed at the moment and its executive producer Ron Moore has said he wants to turn all eight novels into a long-running drama that could last a decade.

It is estimated the show has helped add £20m to the Scots economy and has also sparked popular bus tours to locations such as Doune Castle, near Stirling, the village of Culross and Glasgow’s George Square.