Stephen Fry movie forced west to Kelvingrove Art Gallery after safety fears

GLASGOW’s flagship museum landed a coup when staff played host to Stephen Fry’s new art heist drama – after the production was snubbed by rival attractions in Edinburgh.

The actor and a production crew adapting Ian Rankin’s best-selling book Doors Open into a major new film were forced to head west after both the National Galleries of Scotland and National Museums Scotland refused permission to shoot at a high-security archives complex on the capital’s waterfront.

The entire production was forced to relocate to the collections centre for Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for the scenes, which see thieves conducting a raid to steal paintings.

The Galleries were forced to beef up security and axe regular tours after Rankin’s book was published amid fears of copycat raids. Like its equivalent facility in Edinburgh, the museums centre in Glasgow is located well away from the attraction, at a warehouse in the south side of the city. Officials at Kelvingrove refused to discuss the filming.

However, Rankin told an audience at the Book Festival that there were hopes of a cinema release before Doors Open is shown on ITV. He added: “Stephen Fry got the idea of making the drama after buying the book in an airport.”