Medieval keep becomes film set

Shots for the series Game of Thrones are being filmed in Doune

A medieval keep near Stirling has become the setting for a new Hollywood production by US cable channel HBO.

Scenes from Game of Thrones, starring Sean Bean, are due to be shot at Doune Castle over the weekend.

The series is based on George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy adventure novels.

Doune Castle is already a place of pilgrimage for movie fans after it featured as Castle Anthrax in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Since then, thousands of devout fans make their way to the castle each year to take part in re-enactments.

Written by David Benioff and DB Weiss, the new production will also film on location in Northern Ireland and Morocco.

The A Song of Ice and Fire series, the first of which was published in 1996, is set in the fictional world of Westeros.

It is understood the castle will be used for scenes depicting the courtyard of the fantasy dream realm of Winterfell.

Doune Castle was built at the end of the 1300s for Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany.