The Lost King in Edinburgh

When the producers of THE LOST KING first got in touch to say they were looking at Edinburgh as the filming location for Stephen Frears’ next feature film, of course we thought they meant only the Edinburgh locations – the lead character Philippa Langley is an Edinburgh resident. But to hear that Edinburgh was also to play Leicester, including the car park where King Richard III’s remains were discovered, was a surprise. The architecture of Leicester is not what immediately leaps out when one thinks of Edinburgh. And yet the dogged determination and experience of location manager Lloret Dunn led to suitable locations emerging throughout the city – the back of the Apex International in the Grassmarket, the University of Edinburgh in George Square and Buccleuch Place, Patriothall in Stockbridge.

We had long conversations about how Patriothall would work as a match for the Leicester car park, given that they would need to dig. The location is surrounded by residents and businesses and located off a main road through Stockbridge itself with Spaces For People measures in place. Thankfully the National Mining Museum stepped into the mix. Closed due to Covid, they were able to grant permission for excavation in a safe environment outside the building.

Edinburgh-set locations also feature strongly, including Edinburgh Castle and Castlehill, Princes St Gardens, the Golf Tavern (albeit playing the bar in Queensferry where the Richard III club meet), the Roxy Theatre (performance venue for the play that inspired Philippa’s curiosity), Inverleith Park (rugby match and a king) and Bridge Place in Stockbridge (another kingly sighting), residential areas of Morningside and Trinity (combined for Philippa’s home) - the gracious Steve Coogan had his photo taken with some of the families in the street.

We have to remember that filming took place within the context of the Covid pandemic, with film crews working to strict safety guidelines, keeping themselves a safe distance from the public while maintaining social distancing for the public.

The production was crewed up almost entirely within Scotland, with one of the producers (Wendy Griffin) local to Edinburgh. Wendy, like so many Edinburgh production crew and film colleagues (yours truly included), an alumnus of the Edinburgh International Film Festival which, on the same day that The Lost King was released in cinemas, announced it would be closing. Devastating news for the city, for all involved in the cultural sector, and particularly for all those working there. Work continues to save this cultural institution.

The Lost King is on general release in cinemas across the UK from 7 October 2022, distributed by Pathe.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13421498/