Filming High Above the Tay: A Weekend at Discovery Point, Dundee

I had a fantastic weekend filming down at Discovery Point in Dundee — one of those shoots that mixes adventure and creativity.

A good friend of mine, Jono Buckland, who runs Zone Events, specialises in building high ropes courses and large-scale event installations. You might know his work from places like The Kelpies, which I also had the chance to film. Jono’s team doesn’t just build — they dream up bold ideas and make them real.

Earlier this year, in the heart of winter, we did a recce at the Discovery ship. It was myself, Rich, John, Scott, and Jono — the team was scoping out the masts to see if they could rig a ropes course high up among the sails. The idea was to create a unique experience: climbing the mast, traversing between them, maybe even a zip line off the top. That day was all about figuring out what was possible.

Fast forward to now — they did it. The team built the course, and I came back to capture the action on camera. The first two people to test it out? None other than Lorraine Kelly and Dan Snow, getting harnessed up and taking on the challenge for the first time.

Friday: Lorraine & Dan Take to the Rigging

On the Friday morning of the shoot, we met Lorraine and Dan onsite, ready for the big test run. Gillian and Nicola were also there to help out, alongside Rich, Scott, and John. Jono missed the day — he was away at Glastonbury.

I had multiple cameras running: Rich and John climbed the mast to help mount two GoPros, I had a 360 camera perched up top, and I was operating two handhelds — the Sony FX3 and FX6 — with different lenses and constantly shifting perspectives. Add in a drone (cleared for takeoff via Dundee Airport), and I was basically sprinting between setups all day. My 10k steps came easy that day.

Lorraine and Dan were mic’d up with radio mics that also recorded internally, just in case of dropouts. Lorraine, who’s not a fan of heights, was brave and determined, while Dan seemed completely unfazed — the contrast made for great storytelling both on camera and in the edit.

It was a flat, grey day — not ideal lighting, but workable. We managed to capture some lovely pieces to camera with both of them, even getting them to speak directly to the drone for syncing later. Dan gave me three different takes that’ll make excellent Instagram reels for Discovery Point, and Lorraine delivered a lovely one as well — perfect for our film and for The Lorraine Show.

Once they zipped back to the ground, Lorraine was visibly relieved — but smiling and buzzing. The team did a top job supporting them throughout. After that, I headed off to edit — cutting together a fast-turnaround highlight reel, grading it, compressing from 4K, and delivering it to The Lorraine Show by Saturday evening. It aired Monday morning and looked great — the Lorraine team were delighted with how it turned out.

Myself and Lorraine after the climb. She is super lovely person:)

Saturday: Antarctic Legends, Influencers & 50mph Gusts

Saturday morning brought a new lineup. This time, we had two groups of four, made up of people linked to Antarctica or history — including influencers, donors, and expedition professionals.

John Shears was among them — known for his role in the Endurance search and someone I’d met years ago while filming with the British Antarctic Survey. Dickie Hall from the Antarctic Heritage Trust was also there (I wintered in Antarctica with Dickie — my second winter, his first), along with a few other familiar faces from the polar world such as Steve and Emma, who I caught briefly.

One standout from the day was History Alley — a Scottish Instagram creator who was fantastic in front of the camera. I filmed him in much the same way I did Lorraine, and I’ll be sending him a bundle of footage so he can cut together his own reels for social.

Julie and Ashleigh from Discovery Point were running things both days and gave me the brief on who to mic up and follow. Once everyone was suited up by Gillian, John, and the team, they headed onto the Discovery ship to begin the climb.

The weather, however, wasn’t on our side. Winds were gusting up to 30mph by mid-morning, which meant the upper sections of the mast had to be closed for safety. Rich Parker confirmed it was a no-go above halfway. For me, that meant no drone flying either — winds were pushing 50mph by the end of the day (luckily we were done by lunchtime).

Still, I had five cameras rolling and the radio mics working well. We captured loads of great moments — chats, climbs, reactions — and it was clear everyone had an amazing experience. There’s something powerful about physically climbing the same rigging the Discovery’s original crew would have scaled — albeit in a much safer, static environment.

Of course, in Shackleton’s and Scott’s time, they’d have done it without harnesses, on a pitching sea, in freezing temperatures, with ice-thickened ropes and no fallback. Just being up there now gives you an adrenaline kick — and everyone agreed it brought home just how extreme those original voyages were.

Kae from The Polar Academy working her way up the mast

Wrapping Up with Stories from the South

The weekend wrapped with a lovely lunch hosted by Lorraine, with a fantastic mix of guests — many with deep ties to Antarctica. I had a fascinating chat with an elderly former whaler from Dundee who had worked down in South Georgia. Whaling is a grim chapter of history, but his stories were remarkable. He’d even returned to South Georgia at age 76 aboard a yacht. Now in his 90s, he still had sharp memories and great energy.

All in all, it was an unforgettable weekend. I’ve just wrapped the first draft of the edits — nine films in total — which are now with Discovery Point for review. Once approved, they’ll be going up on their website and YouTube in the near future.

The ropes course officially opens to the public this autumn (I believe) — and if you're looking for something that mixes heritage, adventure, and a real physical challenge, it’s absolutely worth checking out.