New Products from Britain Press Release November 2006

SCOTLAND’S GREAT CITIES CAST THEIR SPELL ON DVD

The table where J K Rowling penned the first Harry Potter novels is among the gems featured in a DVD, produced by a British company, that explores the wonders of Edinburgh, the historic capital city of Scotland.

The DVD, Edinburgh & Beyond, from Handheld Productions, takes the viewer on four fascinating trips around the city and its surrounding areas, giving a rounded picture that includes evocative backstreets and closes, some with their own dark history, as well as the more familiar tourist routes.

While not ignoring the main attractions, the film visits lesser-known institutions, such as the Talbot Rice Gallery, with its exquisite collection of Dutch paintings, and the Royal College of Surgeons. Other famous sites are Rosslyn Chapel; Scotland’s coal-mining museum; and a castle where Mary Queen of Scots lived with her husband, Lord Darnley.

This is the second film in a series called Beyond the Cities, from award-winning director/cameraman Douglas Campbell and his wife Sabrina, the films’ producer. The four-journeys format of the new DVD, north, south, east and west of the city, follows that of their first critically acclaimed film, Glasgow & Beyond.

Glasgow was chosen for the first venture as it was the city the couple moved to, and fell in love with, over 20 years ago. “We were amazed, not only by Glasgow’s rich architectural heritage but also by the sublime highland scenery on our doorstep,” says Sabrina. 

Glasgow & Beyond takes the viewer on a voyage of discovery, from the architectural masterpieces of Charles Rennie Mackintosh to the futuristic science park. Leaving the city, the film allows its audience to experience the industrial grandeur of the Forth Rail Bridge, beautiful Loch Lomond and the Trossachs hills, as well as castles, gardens, whisky distilleries and the wildlife of the Scottish highlands.

Having seen the quality of Glasgow & Beyond, both the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland gave Handheld Productions permission to film in all of their properties for its Edinburgh sequel.

Alastair Balfour, of Scottish entrepreneurial support company The Company Creators Ltd, writes: “One of the frustrations of visiting a beautiful city on holiday is leaving it with the sense that you have missed out on the really special things that only the locals know about. Handheld Production DVDs solve that problem. They give the outsider – the innocent tourist – an insider’s view of the best these cities have to offer. They are also beautifully filmed to a standard not often seen in commercial productions.”

The DVDs make excellent gifts for anyone planning a trip to Scotland or wanting a souvenir of a memorable visit, says Handheld Productions.