Indie production company Firewalker Pictures has revealed its intention to buy Dumbarton Studios in a major move to ‘preserve’ Scotland’s film and TV production landscape – and to save another studio from closing its doors for good.
The studio currently faces an uncertain future following the BBC’s decision to axe long-running drama series River City back in March, as the broadcaster will not be renewing its lease at the site.
Located around half an hour from Glasgow with 18,000 sq ft of studio space plus backlot and build space, it has become a ‘vital hub’ as the home for Scotland’s only homegrown soap River City for the past two decades, providing a training ground for emerging Scottish talent both on and off camera.
READ MORE: River City axed after 24 years
Since 2008, the site has also played host to a range of film and TV productions beyond River City, including the likes of Shetland, Still Game and Two Doors Down.
While concerns continue to mount over the site’s future without River City, which will air its final series in Autumn 2026, the director behind Firewalker Pictures is spearheading efforts to ‘safeguard’ the studio’s legacy and save it from closure.
“Studios aren’t just buildings. They’re ecosystems that foster talent, creativity, and collaboration,” Maureen Hascoet, director of Firewalker Pictures, tells Prolific North.
“Dumbarton Studios has been a cornerstone of Scotland’s creative industry. It deserves more than to fade into history.
“Our vision is to preserve its heritage while opening the doors to fresh voices, emerging filmmakers, and groundbreaking content.”
READ MORE: Can Scotland become a ‘global hub’ for film and TV by 2030?
Firewalker Pictures plans to invest in upgrading the facilities, ensuring the studio remains an ‘attractive location’ for both domestic and international productions.
And for Hascoet, it’s a timely mission. If Scotland is to receive global recognition as a film and TV hub, it needs the right infrastructure in place to create a thriving production ‘ecosystem’.
“In my mind, Scotland has too often been reactive, playing catch-up instead of setting the pace. It’s multi-layered, but there’s a mindset that Scotland doesn’t seem to celebrate what it has.
“Who we are right now as an industry will determine our destiny. If we save the studios, that’s just the first step. We’d look to engage with productions but would also look to become the first producing studio in Scotland.”
Revamping the studios would be a ‘major investment’
While Hascoet’s plans have been hailed as a ‘really good idea’ by River City’s executive producer Martin McCardie, the clock is ticking to make those plans a reality.
Cast and crew are gearing up to begin filming the show’s final series in just two weeks’ time and the cameras will finally stop rolling for River City in April 2026.
“The reality here is we’re already decommissioning at the moment. We’ve been told, once a set is finished with, that’s it coming down. The aim is for that to be done very quickly to bring the backlot down and all the studios refurbished by September next year,” he explains.
Although Hascoet also claims that the BBC is thinking about how it will “bring the buildings back to what they were over 24 years ago”, Prolific North understands the BBC has not yet made a decision about the set.
Once River City does wrap up for good, McCardie questions if there is enough time to turn the studios around and ensure they are “moderately refurbished” and ready for other productions to come in easily.
And there’s “work to be done” to improve the infrastructure in and around the site, as he claims the BBC “hasn’t invested” in the site for a long time.
“You would have to raise the roof in the studios. Films don’t come here because they don’t have the height required for what it is they need to shoot. So that would be a major investment needed to widen the opportunities for people to come here.”
The site also has RAAC (Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) roofing, which is currently “being dealt with”, but it is a “consideration” for those who may take the site on.
“I think there is a lot of potential in the studio,” he says. “We’re now in August and next April is when we stop filming. I think that timeline is a difficult one; it would have to be long before April that the decisions were made not to bring things down.
“I think the backlot here is a real resource and I think people will be interested in Maureen’s plans, but let’s wait and see. It feels like there’s a really good idea there, but it is a while off happening – at the moment.”
The proposed acquisition is still in its early stages and Firewalker Pictures says it is engaging in on-going discussions with current owners Westerwood Properties and relevant stakeholders.
“Who we choose to be right now as an industry and how we show up in this deal will determine our destiny. It’s about more than preserving Scotland’s film and TV infrastructure.
“It’s about being bold enough to value what we have, invest in ourselves and finding our place as leaders in the sector globally. The creative talent in this country is world-class. Dumbarton Studios should continue to be a home for it.”
After previously helping to launch Pioneer Film Studios, which closed its doors last year due to financial difficulties, she now sees the lessons learnt from that project and a big opportunity with Dumbarton Studios.
“I thought I was done with studios, but it was just a bleep in my trajectory. I started doing the Scottish Screenwriters Festival, engaging the industry and getting us together in different ways,” she explains.
“I used to think I had no business doing business as a creative, but no one else was doing it. You have to be the change that you want to see.”
She adds further updates on the negotiations, and any plans for the future of Dumbarton Studios, will be announced in due course.
Prolific North did not receive a response after approaching the studios’ current owners, Westerwood Properties, to discuss the proposed plans and future of the site.
