OCTOBER 2025 - Jules and Greg's Wild Swimming coming in 2026:)

Filming got underway for another season of Jules and Greg’s Wild Swimming, and this time we headed for the Scottish Borders. A part of the country I’ve not spent nearly enough time in, which was reason enough to be quietly excited about it. Plenty of water, plenty of space, and a fair bit of scenery I’d somehow managed to miss over the years.

We were filming in October, which added an extra edge to things. The water was definitely starting to turn by then, especially in the lochs and rivers. You could feel it straight away. The sea, thankfully, hadn’t quite caught up yet and was still hanging on to a bit of warmth, relatively speaking anyway.

The plan over the course of a few weeks was fairly straightforward, at least on paper. Start off swimming in the sea on the east coast of the Borders, then work our way right across the region, stopping off at lochs, rivers and anything else that looked inviting, before finishing on the west coast and wrapping things up at a lighthouse in the far south-west of Scotland. A proper journey, with a lot of cold water involved.

As well as the swimming, Jules and Greg also got stuck into a few other water-based activities along the way, which kept things interesting and, in some cases, slightly colder than planned.

One of the nice things about coming back to this job is how quickly everyone settles back into their roles. Within minutes it felt like we’d never been away. Tony was directing as ever from Solus Productions, Jim producing, with Rowan also producing on the ground. Sean was on main camera as director of photography, Colin on sound, Raonaid as Production assistant, runner and helping Jules and Greg throughout, and I was on second camera and drone, trying to get some nice shots while also keeping the drone dry. Jules and Greg did what they do best, talking to camera with the sort of enthusiasm that somehow survives repeated cold water immersion.

We were also joined by a cracking bunch of swimmers from all over the Borders, all with different backgrounds and different reasons for getting into wild swimming. Proper sound folk, and a big part of what makes the series what it is.

The Borders themselves are absolutely spectacular. Big skies, quiet places, and landscapes that just seem to roll on forever. It’s also just a really good job to be on. Everyone knows each other, everyone gets on, and there’s always a few laughs along the way. One night round the campfire, with a couple of small drinks, was particularly memorable. Nothing daft. Just good company and a fire.

Rowan Green is from this neck of the woods originally, from Traquair, and we filmed at Traquair Castle and in the maze there. The maze turned out to be memorable for another reason as well. That was the day Bonnie the dog had what can only be described as a bit of a situation. She ended up needing a wash in the river before she was allowed back into the van. We’d all been wondering why she was so grumpy that day, with half-serious threats of never taking her on a shoot again. Turned out she’d been having a far worse day than the rest of us. These things happen.

Jules and Greg also stayed at Traquair Castle, which was all very impressive until night fell. At one point we all agreed their living room looked particularly spooky, which didn’t do much for Jules’ nerves for the rest of the evening.

Accommodation on this shoot was a proper mix, in the best possible way. Old gypsy carts, yurts, castles, camper vans, and everything in between. Swimming-wise, we covered sea, lochs and rivers, including one loch that looked for all the world like it belonged in the Cairngorms, complete with Caledonian pines, despite being firmly in the Borders.

All in all, a brilliant job in a beautiful part of Scotland, with a great crew, great people, and just enough unpredictability to keep things interesting. Looking forward to seeing it on BBC Scotland, BBC, and iPlayer when it comes out later this year.

SEPTEMBER 2025 - Drone filming with Guy Martin on The British Train That Changed the World

Steam, stories, and a sky full of drones

Every so often a job comes along that feels a bit special. This one did. Channel 4 were filming Guy Martin: The British Train That Changed the World, marking 200 years since the Stockton & Darlington Railway — the line that more or less started everything on rails.

I was back on board as drone pilot, capturing the sights from above — steam, countryside, and a fair bit of history rolling beneath the rotors.

Back with the gang

Ewan, the director, gave me the call for this one. We’d worked together last year up in the Cairngorms on Guy Martin’s Proper Jobs with Mountain Rescue Sarda Dogs. It was a great shoot and a cracking team, and we all got on well — folk who could graft all day then still have a laugh over a pint at night.

So when he said the same crew were back — Justin Evans on camera, Graeme Smiles producing, Andrew Cholton on sound, and Simon Stubbs on minicams — I knew it’d be a good few days. We met up for dinner the night before, swapping stories and a bit of slagging about who’d drawn the shortest straw on call times. It’s the kind of easy company that makes early mornings a lot lighter.

A royal start to the day

Next morning was bright and freezing — that proper northern air (southern for me a suppose) that wakes you up faster than any coffee. The train was sitting ready at the line, steam drifting into the cold air, and there was a bit more buzz than usual. Turned out Prince Edward was coming along for the launch, which meant there’d be police drone teams flying too.

We all had a quick briefing, sorted our flight levels, and made sure everyone knew who was where. It’s not every day you’ve got three drone teams sharing the sky — especially with royalty standing a few yards away — but everyone handled it well. Bit of coordination, bit of patience, and a lot of mutual respect.

Getting airborne

For this shoot I ran my Mavic 3 Pro Cine for general shots and my brand-new Mini 5 Pro for closer shots but not as close as I’d hoped. 50m away because DJI made the drone 3 grams too heavy!. It’s a lovely bit of kit but will be more useful to me from January when the rules change.

The first location they’d marked for me was wide open, perfect for flight — only thing was, I couldn’t actually see the track from ground level. Once I sent the drone up though, there it was: the locomotive gleaming in the low morning sun, steam curling across the fields, the line stretching out through County Durham.

There’s something about watching a steam train from above — the rhythm, the smoke trail, the whole movement of it — that feels like stepping through time.

After those runs, we shifted to a second spot closer to town. Narrower airspace, more folk about, but that’s where the Mini 5 Pro came into its own. Smooth flying, plenty of control, and the footage looked brilliant on playback.

Wrapping up

Once we’d finished the last sequence, we packed down, had a few quick words with the crew, and I hit the road north again. Short trip, long day, but one of those satisfying ones where you know you’ve caught something a bit special.

A line that changed everything

On 27 September 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened its line from Shildon to Stockton via Darlington. George Stephenson’s Locomotion No. 1 hauled the first public steam train, carrying passengers and goods, and set off a chain reaction that spread across the world.

Two centuries on, it’s still a powerful story — invention, industry, and people connecting places for the first time. To film it now, with modern cameras and flying drones, felt like closing a neat wee circle between past and present.

Final thoughts

Jobs like this remind me why I love what I do. It’s the mix of history, craft, and teamwork — the buzz of working with a great crew and the privilege of framing something that means a lot to people.

Flying over the birthplace of the railways, marking 200 years of progress, and doing it alongside good folk — that’s a day well spent in my book. On Channel 4 26th October 7:30pm

A few pics from screen grabs below

AUGUST 2025 - Filming a feature film on Rivers with Beluga Lagoon

So, we’re out with the Beluga Lagoon crew again, this time filming for Andrew’s big new wildlife film Rivers (aye, nae surprises what it’s about). The line-up: me, Andrew, Craig, and Mark. Blaine was meant to be there but sacked it off to head to Edinburgh to meet his film-making journo pal in the big city lights.

Our “very serious job” was to film this wee wooden toy boat drifting down the river. Proper wildlife cinematography, right? Truth is, it was just four grown men standing at the riverbank like daft laddies, cheering on a toy boat like it was Shackleton’s Endurance on a world-first expedition.

Then came the drama. The poor wooden boat made a beeline straight for a waterfall. Mark, channeling his inner Hollywood action hero, launched himself into the river in a heroic dive. For a moment it looked like we were about to film his last scene. He missed the boat, nearly went over the edge, and gave us all a heart attack.

Luckily, I legged it downstream and managed to fish the wee boat out after it went over. Boat saved. Mark still alive. Result.

To add to the fun, we were also playing about with my brand-new waterproof probe lenses. And no, before you ask, they’re not for probing people like some alien abduction kit — these beauties are for getting right in close to tiny wildlife. We got some cracking shots looking up at beetles, millipedes, frogs and whatever else was willing to sit still. Basically, a whole new angle on the world, macro-style.

A couple of weeks later, I even took one of the boats on a “holiday” up to the Moray Coast. Got some shots of it bobbing about at sea, looking like it had crossed the Atlantic on some epic voyage. Honestly, that wooden thing’s seen more adventure than most folk manage in a year.

Andrew’s close to finishing the film now — just needs a few autumn and winter shots. I’ve dropped in the odd drone flight and camera bit over the last couple of years, and knowing Andrew it’ll be brilliant. The man could film a puddle and make it look like Attenborough.

So aye, keep an eye out for Rivers next year. In the meantime, check out Beluga Lagoon Films on YouTube. That wee wooden boat had a near-death experience, but now it’s a star.

JULY 2025 - Filming Dance, Nature & Young Rangers in the Cairngorms

I had a fun few days working with Rupert Shanks and Robbie, on a beautifully creative project for Cairngorms Connect. The film is being led by Robbie, who has a background in dance and movement, and this piece brings that expressive energy into the landscape and everyday work of the young rangers from the Cairngorms National Park.

Over a couple of days, we filmed the rangers as they carried out conservation work like tree planting, using a mix of Steadicam, traditional handheld camera work, and some macro-style close-ups using my new probe lens — great for getting right into the detail of nature.

Robbie had choreographed some simple but expressive movements that tied into the surroundings and the actions the rangers were doing — giving it a very organic, art-meets-environment feel.

Then, one evening, we headed up near Badaguish to capture a more stylised sequence in the woods. The rangers — and a bunch of other kids — moved dynamically through the trees, jumping, climbing, and swinging. The sequence built up to a really striking final scene centred on a moth trap — a glowing, bright light source in the darkness. As dusk fell, we filmed them swarming around it like moths themselves, using the drone to capture wide, elegant aerial movements.

It was an unusual and rewarding project — a nice mix of nature, movement, and cinematography. I’m looking forward to seeing what Rupert and Robbie piece together from the footage.

JULY 2025 – Filming the Oasis Drone Swarm Over Cardiff for Richard Elliott

Behind the Scenes: Filming the Oasis Drone Swarm in Cardiff

Earlier this month, I headed down to Cardiff, Wales, for a unique and exciting shoot — the opening night of the Oasis Tour at the Principality Stadium. The event featured something pretty special: a drone swarm by Celestial Drones, forming the iconic Oasis logo high above the city skyline.

My friend Richard from Richard Elliott Aerial Filming was brought on to capture the spectacle. Richard regularly works with Celestial and was flying his DJI Inspire 3 to get close-range shots. But for this job, given the complexity of flying in a built-up city environment, they needed a second drone filming from further out. That’s where I came in — operating Richard’s Mavic 4 Pro from one of the nearby parks, offering a different angle on the action.

This was my first time witnessing a drone swarm in real life, and I couldn’t wait to get involved.

Getting Set Up

I arrived in Cardiff around 4pm and headed straight to the rugby grounds next to the stadium, where the Celestial team was setting up. Hundreds of drones were lined up, each carefully tested and checked through the control interface on their screens. It was impressive to see the sheer scale of the operation and the precision involved in coordinating a performance like this.

After meeting up with Richard, we scouted out the location where I’d be flying. It had been cleared with the local council and community ahead of time, and I gave South Wales Police a quick call to make them aware of a drone flight happening after dark.

Midnight Magic

As night fell, an Alanis Morissette concert elsewhere in the city meant the park I was flying from was briefly swarming with concertgoers, but by midnight it had cleared out completely. I was able to launch the Mavic and run a couple of test flights in peace. Unfortunately, Cardiff Castle didn’t switch on its floodlights as expected, so I had to adapt the shot list on the fly.

Then came the countdown. I saw the Celestial drones begin to rise, taking shape in the sky, and I launched my drone for real. With just 12 minutes to capture everything, there wasn’t much room for error. I had a few planned shots in mind, but quickly started improvising — flying behind trees, revealing wide cityscapes, and trying to bring out the scale and beauty of the display. Also capturing the skyline of Cardiff.

It felt like it was over in a flash. One moment I was filming the drones lighting up the sky, the next they were descending back to the rugby field. I handed off the footage, which the team seemed really happy with.

A Flying Visit

By 2am, I was back at my B&B, and the next morning I was already heading back to Scotland. A whirlwind trip — my first ever visit to Cardiff — but a brilliant experience to be part of. I’m looking forward to filming more with Richard and the Celestial team later this year on future Oasis events.

JUNE 2025 - Mountain Drone Operator for BritRock Films – Filming ‘An Inconvenient Tooth’ on Skye

Out again with Al Lee and BritRock Films to film Robbie Phillips attempting an on-sight of An Inconvenient Tooth (E7 6c), with Topher along to belay.

Al’s plan was to catch the golden evening light to give the footage a cinematic edge. We met at the Sligachan pub at 2pm and began the walk-in with the usual heavy sacks. It was a clammy, sweltering day—by the time we hit the steep scree slopes below the climb, I felt like I was about to burst with heat.

Up at the base, we were met with cloud blowing hard over the Basteir Tooth from the south, leaving the rock damp and conditions less than ideal. Flying the drone was a gamble too—thick cloud can interfere with sensors and cause sketchy auto-landings as it mistakes mist for solid ground.

So we sat it out, rehydrating and regrouping, hoping conditions would shift. And luckily, they did. As the sun began to dip—on the longest day of the year, no less—the clouds lifted and the wind began to settle, as it often does on Scottish evenings. It reminded me of my old canoe guiding days: battling winds all day, then launching at dinnertime when the breeze finally dropped. The wind didn’t vanish completely, but it halved in strength—enough to dry the route and give Robbie a more relaxed feeling about the route.

As with all filming missions with Al, I’ll keep the full story under wraps—it’s best saved for the big screen later in the year :) But behind the scenes, it was a big day in the end. Unfortunately as Al abseiled off the top of the tooth after filming on the ropes for the day/night, the ropes jammed. On Gabbro this can just take an edge to do. Doesn’t need to be twisted or jammed in a groove as the rock is so rough. Robbie soloed up Naismith’s route in the dark to throw them from the top. While we looked after his dog Bonnie and carried his bag and would meet him after he traversed over Am Bastier and down the other side.

We wrapped up on the longest day with headtorches blazing and a long walk back in the dark. I reached my car at 3am, just as the heavens opened, and crashed out in the back while the rain hammered down.

An epic day on the hill, and hopefully some stunning footage to show for it—the Cuillin never disappoints. Al’s girlfriend Lewis was along too, snapping photos, and hopefully enjoyed the adventure despite the late finish.

Here’s my favourite shot of the day—Sgùrr nan Gillean at sunset, stitched from six drone photos, taken from 100 metres above the ridge:

JUNE 2025 - Aerial Filming a very hard Rock climb for Britrock at Dumbarton near Glasgow

A fun bit of Drone pilot work and camera operator near Glasgow at Dumbarton Rock. I hadn’t filmed this face since 1998 with the Nick Tarmey film Cutting Loose with a bunch of us including Dave Macleod, who’s route we were here to film that he did way back in 2006 and is still ranked as one of the most physically hard routes in the UK all these years later, a little break down and history of it below:)

Rhapsody (E11) – Dumbarton Rock, Scotland

Rhapsody is one of the most iconic and demanding traditional rock climbs in the world. Located on Dumbarton Rock near Glasgow, it was first climbed by Dave MacLeod on 9 April 2006 and became the first-ever E11-graded trad route in the UK. It follows the upper half of the famous E8 route Requiem, then pushes through a brutal crux with minimal protection and huge fall potential.

MacLeod spent over two years working on the line, taking multiple 20–25 metre falls in the process. The climb was filmed in the award-winning documentary E11 by Hot Aches Productions, capturing the intense physical and psychological challenge.

The route is 35 metres long and breaks down into three parts:

• An easier lower slab leading to a small rest ledge

• A sustained diagonal crack (shared with Requiem) with small wire protection

• A desperate and bold crux sequence (around French 8c+ / 5.14c), with almost no gear and massive fall potential

What makes Rhapsody so infamous isn’t just the technical difficulty, but the seriousness. Falling off the crux results in huge falls, often past the resting ledge and dangerously close to the ground. It’s considered one of the most dangerous trad climbs in the world.

Since MacLeod’s first ascent, it has seen very few repeats:

1. Dave MacLeod (2006 – first ascent)

2. Sonnie Trotter (2008)

3. Steve McClure (2008)

4. James Pearson (2014)

5. Jacopo Larcher (2016)

6. Gérôme Pouvreau (2018)

7. Mathew Wright (2024)

Each climber has confirmed the exceptional difficulty and commitment required. Even years after the first ascent, Rhapsody remains a benchmark for elite-level traditional climbing.

In the words of Magnus Midtbø, who visited the route in 2024:

"Possibly the most dangerous route in the world."

We were here to possibly catch the newest ascent if all went well. Billy Ridal called Al Lee to say he felt he was getting close to being able to do it. So off we went to film it for Al’s Brotrock Films. Really interesting seeing someone do this route. I had seen Dave’s film and read his book where it features quite a bit. Billy comes from a competition background and by the sounds of the guys chatting hasn’t done masses of trad climbing. He said the route was definitely his style and he set about it in a very positive and keen way.

There were certainly a few huge whippers which I imagine pleased Al a lot as if he had just gone straight up it the story would not be quite the same lol. The thing that astonished me was hearing about people taking years to try and break those top moves on it after the very bumpy coverhanging crack below and trying to do such hard moves when tired and having to build towards it. Billy seems to be extremely strong for sure and I don’t know enough about it but I’d imagine the time he took is probably the fastest. So amazing effort and also amazing this route had stood the test of time since Dave first climbed it in 2006 the year Billy began climbing at 9 years old:)

The team plus Matt who showed up just 10 mins after)

Billy and Frances who belayed and had a few flying through the air moments:)

JUNE 2025 - Filming Sam Thompson for UNICEF and Socceraid, 10's of millions of views on Social media

A wild week following Sam Thompson doing a marathon a day on foot and by bike from one stadium to the next stadium. Start at Arsenal in London and finishing at Old Trafford in Manchester.

A friend Vicci was doing the media bit for UNICEF and brought me on board to film as I have previously filmed with Comic Relief and Children in Need with Vicci and we get on well.

Here I would be in the lead vehicle filming Sam as he ran and cycled. The lead vehicle had a documentary crew in it. As these challenge events they raise usually a quarter to half the money from the actual event and through daytime TV, News and social media and the other half from a documentary that airs a week or so after the event. So it’s funny filming these as the documentary team are trying to film everything too. But I just film the occasional pieces throughout the day not absolutely everything like them and try stay out of their cameras way:) I then do a rough edit on my computer to pull out the better pieces etc and then upload to our base where a guy Matthew then edited social media posts from it, and Anna and Gabs would also edit things from it. I’d then film a bit, edit, upload repeat over and over all day. Then in the evening I’d have to quickly do a 5-10 minute highlight reel for Media. Such as News shows etc to use in their cycles. I would then do a longer edit (I say edit its just more a selection of shots and interviews for others to edit) for ITV This Morning that was featuring my footage each day. One of the days I also filmed a VT for This Morning with Ben Sheperd.

As well as myself and the Doc crew there was a social media team for UNICEF getting other pieces and then Sam had his own social guy Ted, ITV TM had a live crew each day and each person that met Sam to run with him for a short while usually also had their own media team:)

Was a fun week, couldn’t do it every week as 18 hr days take their toll. But worth it for the money raised and my overtime was my bit to charity:) A few pics of the day week below.

Some of the footage I took that was made into reels on instagram have individually had millions of views (one vid 8million) and probably 10’s of millions combined which is amazing.. This started the fund raising this week with £1.5m and by the end of it all as in documentary and football game it got up to £15m:)

MAY 2025 - Making 3D Models of the sets for the new 'Highlander' movie

A fun day going round several sites in the highlands in Scotland to capture footage and pictures and also use the meta data in the pictures from my Inspire 3 drone to create 3D models of these locations for the set designers for the new Highlander film. A big day getting to all these sites which are also all secret so can’t reveal anything, plus it is still in the recci stage so these sites weren’t confirmed yet.

Exciting to get involved in this film though in some way and I was pretty chuffed with how my 3D models look. The Set design team were also super pleased with them and will have me out on others again soon:)

Used my Inspire 3 drone to do the pictures for 3D modelling as it has very accurate GPS and positioning data on every picture

Also flew my Mavic 3 pro CINE to get a bunch of footage of the site to give a feel of surroundings etc for them. They wanted smaller files for the filming than the Inspire 3 creates:)

MAY 2025 - Filming climbers on Shelterstone crag in the Cairngorms

A big day out with Britrock films, this time without Al Lee as he was out in Wales filming at the time so sent me on a solo mission. An old friend from Banchory had been trying to get me to take out one of his school pupils who is into climbing and filming. So this would be a perfect day for him, Tavish, as he could help me carry some kit and lighten the 30+ Kg rucsac of mine and also get us a second angle on the climbers.

The climbers we would be filming were Robbie Philips who lives Edinburgh way and Jamie Lowther a local climber to me. I had not met either before but I know Jamie’s Dad John and this came about due to me chatting with him in Aldi’s 5 days before lol.

Obviously the forecast was amazing as it has been for a while now. We walked in Coire Snetchda and up the goat track. Got a drone shot at the beginning then a few camera shots on the way. I don’t fly the drone on the plateau at this time of year as nesting season. I’m not sure the drone would make any difference in comparason to people walking around and certainly less disturbing than a dog. But you never know and the plateau is a special delicate area.

Was great chatting with everyone and all a good bunch great views as we went in. We then reached the foot of the climb and got the guys set with radio mics. They record internally, thankfully as we have no Al lee on the ropes and they went out of signal fairly quickly. The guys were heading up Thor an E5 6B on the slab area of this impressive crag. There were only two other climbers on the crag so I went to chat to them about the drone flying to see if they were ok with it. As it can be off putting at times on the crag. In the end it became so windy no one would hear it unless 5 meters from it lol. They were good with the drone and after returning home I sent them a few pics of them on the needle climbing.

Our climbers did well up the route following an overlap on the slab from left to right. A guy abseiled down from the top to clean a route on the slab. Which was a shame for the filming but thankfully Robbie knows him and all good with the filming. After they did the route that ends 2/3 off the way up the mountain they abseiled off then decided to do Haystack a classic E3 up the Bastion to give a much better filming finish and stand on a summit. Myself and Tavish filmed a couple of pitches then scarmbled round to the top while carrying the climbers bags on our fronts. Getting to the top it was very windy and northern so freezing cold. Colder for the climbers though I’d imagine.

From the top of the cliff it is impossible to see what is going on below so harder to time when to fly a drone down the cliff. But we got some great shots and got them coming onto the summit and a little interview with them. Then we packed up quickly in the cold cloudy evening and started the long but beautiful walk back round the plateau and down the goat track. I could definitely feel my legs by the end with the heavy load and even Tavish seemed tired too by then. A few pics below from the day.

MAY 2025 - Drone pilot in Port Glasgow for a Bollywood feature film

A fun day aerial filming on a Bollywood feature film near Glasgow. Bollywood is always a little different from other Films to work on. Mainly as you get maybe 15 people telling you what to do. Thankfully the DOP said this to me early on and said just listen to myself and these two and ignore everyone else as if just background noise lol!

Had a morning of doing establishing shots of the Finlayston House and estate. Then a few fast car shots flying down a stream with trees very near my props which was fun. Then later in the day we did a bunch of shots with the actor running from the building. A great bunch of folk to work with and interesting to see all their setups as they headed into doing a night shoot too..

A few screen grabs and pictures of the day below.

MAY 2025 - Drone operator on Ben Loyal in the far north of Scotland to film a hard climb

Continuing the following of hard climbs and climbers I headed to Ben Loyal again with Alastair Lee for Britrock films. This time to film Franco Cookson who is working a hard slab route on one of the buttresses of this amazing mountain:)

A big walk in with a 30 Kg rucksack again and got some filming done with the drone and long lens. But we will return at a later date to see the route completed as Franco works away at it. A few pictures of the day below:)

MAY 2025 - Drone pilot on the Cobbler filming Mat Wright on a hard route he tries to onsight

A fun day with Britrock films and Alaister Lee filming Dalriada a E7 6b climb first climber by Gary Latter in 1995 then a second ascent by Dave Macleod in 1999 and the first female ascent in 2015 by Natalie Berry. An amazing route and possibly Scotlands most photogenic route!

We had a great day out especially after arriving at the bottom of the routes finishing the carry of 30Kg of camera kit, drone batteries etc from sea level lol. Al was on the ropes and route as usual doing A Camera while I did drone operator and Long lens:)

Should be a fun watch to see how it goes for the onsight on Bitrock film tour later in the year:) https://britrockfilms.com

A few pictures from the day below