A YELLOW cab and the stars and stripes in Glasgow city centre? Any unwitting passersby yesterday may well have wondered why the streets suddenly had a New York vibe.
The mystery was solved by the appearance of Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch, although this time he wasn’t filming a scene for the hit TV series but was in town for a new Showtime-Sky Atlantic production.
As well as starring in the show, Cumberbatch is serving as an executive producer of period drama Melrose.
For his fans it was a welcome appearance in Scotland after the Dr Strange actor failed to turn up in Edinburgh earlier this year for the filming of Avengers Infinity War, shooting scenes for the new blockbuster in Atlanta instead.
Yesterday Cumberbatch was spotted in Bothwell Street, filming a scene in front of a yellow cab and donning a warm coat between takes.
He is playing lothario Patrick Melrose who makes a “harrowing odyssey from a deeply traumatic childhood through adult substance abuse and, ultimately, toward recovery”.
The drama has been adapted for television by One Day author David Nicholls and is based on the acclaimed semi-autobiographical Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St Aubyn.
The show, which also stars Luther and Game Of Thrones actress Indira Varma, is to air next year and will be shot on location in the south of France and London as well as Glasgow, where filming is to take place until November 3, with some roads closed in the city.
“We are delighted to be part of this incredible series,” said Cumberbatch and fellow executive producer Adam Ackland. “We have been huge fans of these books for many years and David Nicholls’ adaptations are extraordinary.”
City council leader Susan Aitken praised Glasgow Film Office for setting up the shoot.
“The council’s Glasgow Film Office continues to do fantastic work in attracting such activity, with all the economic benefit it brings, and this series will show the streets of Glasgow all over the world,” she said.
The city has proved to be a popular location for filming in recent years. Brad Pitt’s zombie horror film World War Z generated £3.33 million for the Scottish economy in just 17 days on location in Glasgow in the summer of 2011. More recently, Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick and actor Bill Nighy were spotted out and about in the city during filming of BBC drama Ordeal By Innocence.
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