AN ADVERT partly shot in East Lothian is currently being shown on TV and online.

A film crew descended on the county recently to film the advert for supermarket giant Aldi, featuring two locations in East Lothian.

The scenes were filmed at Yellowcraig Beach and two houses in Haddington, as well as some filming at Pease Bay in the Scottish Borders – all to promote Aldi's 'Special Buys'.

The crew chose East Lothian due to its great surfing beaches and its film charter – an agreement between council departments to work together to accommodate film requests in the East Lothian area wherever possible.

In past years, East Lothian has been the backdrop for films including The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, and Steven Spielberg's The BFG. The county also been used as a filming location for several adverts and many TV series, including the popular show Outlander.

Dave Neilson produced the Aldi advert via his award-winning company Filming Scotland.

When asked if he would return to East Lothian to film in the future, he said: "Absolutely, there are so many locations that fit into a lot of the creative briefs we get through.

"Also its good facilities and close proximity to Edinburgh it makes it an easy option in term of logistics.

"In addition, the council are great at jumping on film requests quickly and give a very personal service so again that goes a long way to making the film process smooth."

Councillor John McMillan, cabinet spokesperson for economic development and tourism, said: "It is extremely beneficial for filming to take place in East Lothian as it helps put East Lothian on the map both in terms of attracting other film companies and for potential tourists seeing our beautiful county on screen.

"Obviously, it also helps our economy by safeguarding jobs in the hospitality industry and local shops, which all help to service film crews and sometimes even big stars!

"I'm delighted to hear Dave's positive comments about filming here and it just shows that our film charter has created an efficient partnership-working atmosphere and that can only be a good thing for East Lothian."

Rosie Ellison, head of Film Edinburgh, the film office for Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders, said: "East Lothian has long been a popular destination for filmmakers, with East Lothian Council working in partnership with the region's film office Film Edinburgh since the mid-1990s, together assuring a film-friendly response to over 400 productions, including feature films Mary Queen of Scots, Outlaw King, Under The Skin, The Railway Man, TV dramas Outlander and Case Histories, and adverts for Chinese water company Ganten and now Aldi."

The Aldi advert can be seen online at youtube.com/watch?v=zRyK6ped4Eg