One Day Removals Lands on Amazon Prime, Nearly Two Decades On

Mark Stirton’s 2008 comedy One Day Removals has landed on Amazon Prime Video, after building an audience on YouTube over several years. It’s a black comedy road movie about two ordinary Aberdeen removal men, Andy and Ronnie, whose day takes a dark and unexpected turn. Played by Patrick Wight and Scott Ironside, and shot almost entirely on location around the city and shire, it was probably the first feature film made entirely in Doric, and it’s built a reputation for just how much swearing gets packed into its 85 minute runtime.

For a self-funded, low-budget film made outside any real industry infrastructure, this kind of reach is rare. First time round, One Day Removals found its audience through festival screenings, DVDs passed between friends, and word of mouth around the city. A deal with a platform the size of Amazon puts it in front of viewers who would probably otherwise never come across it, and it gives an independent filmmaker like Stirton something closer to the exposure a studio backed film would get.

We “bumped into” Mark on Bluesky and had a chat about One Day Removals, and what this deal means to him.

An unexpected surprise

The Prime listing wasn’t something Mark went chasing. “We knew our sales agent, CinemaVault in Canada, was trying to get it out, but we never thought they’d get Prime,” he said.“Because so many people were watching it on YouTube, they gave us a chance."

“I’m pleased for Patrick and Scotty, cos their performances will be widely seen now. It gives the film a bit more credibility,” Stirton told us.

Mark is hoping it counts for something closer to home too. “I guess I’m hoping the Aberdeen public support the local film,” he said. “This is the first time One Day Removals has ever been monetised, so we’ll see,” he added. “The thick Doric accents might be an issue for some, but you never know.”

Getting a crew together

Stirton wrote the parts of Andy and Ronnie with Wight and Ironside already in mind. What followed, once funding was in place, was a shoot built around one hard constraint: Ironside had a full-time job, and the film had to fit around it.

“The shoot was relatively straightforward, with very little drama. We were being funded by an oil millionaire, Ken Fraser, so money wasn’t an issue for a change. I remember Ironside working like a dog. He was working full time, so the shoot was his holiday, plus two weekends, then immediately back to work. At least I got a day off!”

The film was shot in sixteen days, all told. “It was a fast shoot!” Stirton said. The film was then picked up for Raindance, which meant an equally fast edit. “Basically the whole thing came together incredibly quickly. We filmed it in March, and we premiered in London by September.”

A typical day started early, with cast and crew meeting at Stirton’s place before driving out to preselected locations, Wight and Ironside running lines in the van on the way. Mornings and afternoons were spent filming, with a light lunch in between.

“We’d then have a look at the footage, see what was working, see what wasn’t, make some notes, then kick everyone out so I could charge about 50 batteries and maybe sleep a bit.”

The whole production ran on a crew of five or six regulars. A real guerrilla shoot.

The money man

Funding came from Ken Fraser, an oil businessman who’d seen Stirton’s earlier film The Planet and got in touch off the back of it. “Because we’d actually finished a film, he felt it was okay to fund us for one production, just to be friendly,” Stirton said. “He coughed up 70 grand in one meeting — I always liked Ken."

Stirton is now putting together a 20th anniversary special edition of the film, largely to update the visual effects. “What can be done today is quite different to what could be done 20 years ago,” he told us.

Cheekily, we asked Mark for one piece of advice he’d give Christopher Nolan. Giving us a typically razor sharp reply, he said:

“Pick a ratio. But failing that miracle, I’d just advise him to film in Aberdeen and use me as second unit!”

If you’re looking for some entertainment close to home this weekend, watch One Day Removals on Amazon Prime. You can also follow Mark Stirton on Bluesky for updates on upcoming projects.