HARRY Potter film-makers are praising the wizardry of a Highland fish and chip shop owner.
Sammy Cameron, from Caol, near Fort William, conjured up, at very short notice, two dozen fish suppers for the starving movie-makers, who had just spent long hours out on Rannoch Moor – 40 miles from his premises.
The Warner Brothers contingent thought Mr Cameron’s delicacies were simply magic and dubbed him their Wizard wi’ Chips.
The Harry Potter crew were making a return to the Highlands and the west Highland railway line was once again the location for filming this week, with about 100 pupils from Lochaber High School at Fort William taking part in the filming as extras.
The picturesque route was chosen for some scenes in two previous J.K. Rowling epics and now the film-makers are back to shoot the seventh and last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
On this occasion, views of Glenfinnan Viaduct, which has featured in the previous Harry Potter blockbusters, were not required. Instead, the young teenagers were bussed to Tulloch Station, east of Roy Bridge. The camera action focused on Hogwart’s Express as the blood-red train steamed between Tulloch and Rannoch stations with its excited young passengers.
Although picnic meals were provided for the young extras, there was no time to cater for the crew members, who were out and about until after dark, and it became obvious they would not be back at Fort William in time to have a late meal. One of the local Network Rail operatives helping the film folk suggested phoning ahead to Fort William for 24 fish suppers in advance of everyone arriving back in town.
Unfazed, award-winning Sammy’s Chip Shop promised that dinner would be served at 11pm.
“A couple of the film people arrived in here to collect, looking absolutely jiggered and very, very hungry", said Mr Cameron, 54.
“I told one of them who was really worn out that I would get him something else that would waken him up, and ran across to my house for a bottle of our local Ben Nevis whisky.
“After a dram of that, he was suitably fortified while the driver loaded their vehicle with fish suppers.”
The pupils were warmly praised by the Warner Bros executives for their good manners.
The west Highland locations lend themselves to the spooky side of things in Deathly Hallows, with the storyline involving plenty of ghosts, witches and warlocks.
