A Merry Scottish Christmas is new festive film from Hallmark that brings the magic of the holidays to life through its beautiful filming locations in Scotland and Ireland while telling a heartwarming story of finding peace and embracing Scottish holiday traditions.
The film is special for fans of Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf (popular for their roles in Party of Five) as they are sharing the same screen after two decades. They played the role of siblings for six seasons in Party of Five series and now, they are returning in the same roles for a Hallmark movie.
In the movie, they play two estranged siblings navigating their Scottish homeland to reconnect with their mother, and uncover a gigantic family secret that has been holding the family for generations.
The Hallmark movie is produced by Edwina Forkin under Synthetic Cinema International and Treehouse Media, with Dustin Rikert as director, Andrea Canning, Andrew Gernhard, and Dustin Rikert as screenwriter, and Molly Mayeux as line producer.
Where was A Merry Scottish Christmas filmed?
A Merry Scottish Christmas was filmed in Ireland & Scotland from May to July 2023, Hartford Courant reported.
Filming took place in both Ireland and Scotland, but wrapped in Scotland. Even though, producer Kellie updated on Instagram that the filming wrapped on 3 July.
However, the screenwriter Andrew Gernhard said to Hartford Courant that the filming wrapped on July 13, 2023, the last night before the beginning of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has impacted the filming of numerous television shows and movies.
He said:
“Starting in November, we made four Hallmark films in a row,” he says. We made ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ in North Carolina, then we made ‘Where Are You, Christmas’ and ‘Mystic Christmas’ back to back, both in Mystic, from March until May. Then we went to Ireland and Scotland from May to July for ‘A Merry Scottish Christmas,’ which we finished on the last night before the strike.”
Even though, Gernhard made four Hallmark movies this year namely A Biltmore Christmas, Where Are you, Mystic Christmas, and Merry Scottish Christmas but this Scottish Christmas film is getting international attention because it reunites two stars Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf from a popular family drama series Party of Five.
Duns Castle, Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland
The main filming location for the Hallmark Christmas movie was the Duns Castle located in Berwickshire, Scotland. Most of the fiming took place in and around the castle as the cast and crew spent more than 2 months within the same region.
Duns Castle is a stunning castle dating back to the 14th century located in the Scottish Borders, about 30 miles south of Edinburgh. It provided the perfect backdrop for many pivotal scenes in the movie.
The cast and crew spent several weeks filming at the historic building and its sprawling estate and it was used as the home of Jo Morgan, the mother of estranged siblings Lindsay and Brad Morgan.
Several key scenes featuring the exterior and interior of the castle were shot on location at Duns. The lovely Scottish countryside surrounding Duns Castle is also featured throughout A Merry Scottish Christmas film.
Ireland
In addition to Scotland, the Christmas movie was filmed on location in Ireland. The cast and crew traveled to the island located in the North Atlantic ocean to complement the Scottish settings during June 2023.
Ireland’s rolling green hills, rugged cliffs, and quaint towns and villages provide the perfect romantic and charming backdrop that aligns beautifully with the spirit of this Christmas movie.
Though specific Irish locations have not been disclosed, the cinematography clearly highlights the natural beauty of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.
Since production of A Merry Scottish Christmas’ wrapped quickly in Ireland, the production team captured all the Irish setting scenes in the capital only.
According to SleepyKittyPaw, the shooting was done in Wicklow, Ireland during June 2023. It is a country town located just a few kms away from the south of Dublin.
Hallmark movies generally shot in Canada like Navigating Christmas but every year, there are two or three Hallmark films that takes place on location. For this year, the first film is A Heidelberg Christmas while the other one is ‘A Merry Scottish Christmas.’
Behind the Scenes
Both the leads, Lacey and Scott shared their excitement over the reunion in a recent talk with PEOPLE.
Chabert said: “Scott and I have talked for years about doing another project together. When we first read this story about these siblings at a crossroads, we both knew it was the perfect opportunity.”
Wolf added: “Working with Lacey on Party of Five was one of my favorite experiences ever, Reuniting after all of these years to tell such a beautiful story together is a dream that I’m so glad is coming true.”
Synthetic Cinema shared a collage featuring the clapperboard and some bts moments with A Merry Scottish Christmas production team on their official Instagram during the shooting phase.
A Merry Scottish Christmas Cast
The main cast of A Merry Scottish Christmas includes Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf, and James Robinson.
Lacey Chabert as Dr. Lindsay Morgan
Lacey is starring as one of the sibling looking to reunite with mom before Christmas eve. She is known for her role in Hallmark’s Wedding Veil film series, and Party of Five, where she played the role of Claudia Salinger, a violin virtuoso struggling after her parent’s death.
Scott Wolf as Brad Morgan
Wolf is another sibling in A Merry Scottish Christmas, who is coming to help Lacey in finding her mom. (She is his mom too, that’s another thing)
He is also famous for his role in Party of Five as Bailey Salinger, the second oldest child in the Salinger family and Hallmark movies like A Christmas Love Story, Rescued By Ruby, Nancy Drew, Inside Game, Meet My Valentine, etc.
James Robinson as Mac Bell
Robinson is a Scottish actor who is starring as Mac in A Very Scottish Christmas movie. His credits include in blockbuster Mel Gibson’s oscar winning film Breaveheart, Saving Christmas Spirit, A Suburban Fairytale, Doctors, Ashes, etc.
Other cast members of A Merry Scottish Christmas include:
- Kellie Blaise as Sarah Morgan
- Fiona Bell as Josephine
- Gerry O’Brien as Graeme Stewart
- Tom Doonan as Hamish
- Laura Hughes as Elspeth Abernathy
- Andy Peppiette as Danny
- Chris McHallem as Angus Ryan (as Chris Mchallem)
- Tiernan Messitt-Greene as Charlie
- Deirdre Monaghan as Local Woman
- Eilidh Murray as Young Josephine
- Ali White as Dr. Amerila Bell
- Iggy Bownes as Morgan Family Driver
- Gemma Kane as Isla
- Will Kemp as Thomas
- Stella Watson as Maid
- Bryce Rikert as Footman
- Kevin Aitchison as Wedding Guest 1
- Claire Aitchison as Wedding Guest 2
- Dale Robertson as Wedding Guest 3
- Morag Robertson as Wedding Guest 4
- Siobhán Dunne as Maid
- Janet Grene as Whiskey Distiller
- Martin McDonagh as Villager
What is the movie A Very Scottish Christmas about?
Lindsay and Brad, two siblings who haven’t seen each other in a long time, travel to Scotland to reunite with their mother Jo.
How to watch A Merry Scottish Christmas?
A Merry Scottish Christmas is currently streaming on Hallmark Channel on the following dates:
- Sunday, Nov. 19 at 6/5c
- Friday, Nov. 24 at 10/9c
- Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2/1c
- Thursday, Dec. 7 at 8/7c
- Friday, Dec. 15 at 6/5c
- Sunday, Dec. 24 at 10/9c
- Thursday, Dec. 28 at 4/3c
- Monday, Jan 1 at 6/5c
- Friday, Jan 12 at 8/7c
