Spotlight Übungsheft Spezial: Hörverstehen

Carmen Garcia: My name is Carmen Garcia. I am 58. I live in London. At this stage, I would be a little bit apprehensive about getting into a car with no driver. I would be a little bit unsure about the technology. I know that they have driverless cars in America, but I haven’t seen any here, so I would be a little bit worried about getting into one. I think old and vulnerable people that are unable to drive themselves could benefit from driverless cars. 

Cliff Wilson: My name is Cliff Wilson. I am 72 years old. I live in Hampshire, in a little village called Ropley. So, I think I’ve got a fairly strong opinion on this. I’m a bit of a petrol head myself. I love cars, I love driving, and I drive a sports car myself. So, I would never want a driverless car myself. Would I get into a driverless taxi in London? Not anytime soon, but maybe in a few years’ time when the software has developed and become more reliable. I’ve done some work in the past on driverless cars and the systems associated with them. So, I understand that the problem is not the driverless car, it’s all the non-driverless cars – they get in the way. So, would I trust it to get me, a taxi, to get to my destination on time? Probably not. In years to come, would I trust that it would take the shortest, least expensive route? Probably not. So, my jury would be... I would vote no; I wouldn’t probably get into a driverless taxi. 

Jeremy Ireland: Hello. My name is Jeremy Ireland. I’m 35 years old. I absolutely would get in a driverless taxi. I think it’s quite a novel, interesting idea and an interesting way to see the city but also to experience all the technology that’s involved there. My only reservation [about] it is that I do always like the personal aspects to being in a taxi, having a chat with the driver, hearing about his day, if he’s got any local recommendations. That would be my only kind of downside to a driverless taxi. 

Rachel Warren: My name is Rachel Warren. I’m 56. I live in Ilkley in West Yorkshire. Driverless cars freak me out. I think it’s a really weird concept because I would feel that I didn’t have any control. So, the thought of getting into a driverless taxi in London would make me feel a little bit anxious. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do it, but I think I would think very hard about it because you’re relying on tech. And I always think, what happens if it goes wrong? I’ve got no control. I can’t stop something happening. Whereas if a human being is in charge, I’ve got a chance of somebody being able to do something to stop an accident or something else happening.

Louise Bracey: Louise Bracey. I’m 58. I live in Bristol. In a beautiful place called Clifton. I’m very reticent about this. I saw a documentary about it, and even though I thought how impressive, how amazing, and it was quite convincing, I have my reservations. Personally, I’m more of a traditional girl, and I probably more likely wouldn’t, because I know that things malfunction. I was never a big fan, to be perfectly honest, of even the computer era. I delayed and delayed and delayed. And I’ve only had my own website and been doing things like that for about 15 years. There you go. I just don’t trust it.

Matt Hayward: Hi, my name’s Matt Hayward. I think the technology behind them is really cool. Would I get in one right now? It would depend on the length of the journey to be honest. If it was a short journey, around streets where I would typically be going at a quick speed, I probably would but for a longer-haul journey that tends to go on motorways, probably not. I do think that in, if you asked the question in five to ten years, my answer would probably be different but because it feels more of a developing technology at the moment. I’m not sure I feel necessarily safe or comfortable getting in one for a longer journey. But I’m excited to see how that space develops for sure. 
 

Dagmar Taylor: How significant is set-jetting to Scotland's tourism industry today, and how has it grown in recent years? 

Jenni Steele: So, film and TV tourism is a huge, huge asset for Scotland. We’re keeping up with competitors and looking at different ways of making Scotland top of mind for our visitors and potential visitors. We know from research that one-in-five people who come to Scotland come here because they've seen the destination on film or TV. So that’s a really warm market for us to tap into because we know they already love Scotland. We've seen it really increase in the last few years. The value of screen tourism is sitting at about 160 million at the moment, and that has risen dramatically. It was around 60 million in 2019. So, there's quite a sustained interest. It is a growing trend and through then seeing locations on film and TV is a really powerful way of showcasing locations and destinations. Like, you know, Skyfall when you see James Bond on the big screen and going through that Highland countryside, it is just stunning and it's an advert for Scotland. 

Dagmar Taylor: Are there any other productions that have had an unexpectedly large impact on tourism in Scotland? 

Jenni Steele: Outlander has done some incredible things for Scotland. All the different things people find within Outlander, they're really interested to go and explore what was the real history, what was the thing that sits beneath the storylines. So that certainly has been amazing. But yes, there's been lots and lots of other productions, too. So, we've seen a lot of crime dramas are really interesting for people. So, the likes of Shetland, which has had a number of returning series, that's been really popular for the Shetlands Isles. And the Rebus series, as well, has had a remake, and they're actually about to start filming series two of that newer version. Things like Department Q, another crime series with a different twist. So, we're seeing quite a different range of productions that appeal to different audiences. So, crime, fiction, period dramas and historical movies and TV series work really well. So, The Crown, for example, a lot of that was shot in Scotland. And a lot, of course, of the royal family’s story connects to Scotland. And also films which talk about maybe some of our historic heroes and heroines, sort of the likes of Mary Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan, the Outlaw King with Chris Pine, the story of Robert the Bruce, Local Hero, Braveheart, The Da Vinci Code, films which have been really covered many, many years ago and were released then are still having quite a big impact today, but there's that historical interest in terms of who was the real character, where did they really go, where did they really live, what were the battle sites, what was some of that real history that they can go and explore, and of course that gives us a lot more opportunity to think about places to promote around Scotland, for businesses to get involved that weren't necessarily a film location, but can actually tie into the real history and heritage as well. 

Dagmar Taylor: You mentioned that you do work together with Outlander and other producers. How close is that connection and how much do you work with them? 

Jenni Steele: So, what normally happens is that we will work with the distributor of a film or TV, so that could be the likes of Sony Pictures, it could be Universal, it could be StudioCanal, BBC, and then what we do is we look at different ways of promoting the movie or TV series, but also then the locations and the destination. And maybe some of those themes and topics behind that. So, for example, we've worked recently with Netflix on the Frankenstein movie. They've filmed a lot of that in Edinburgh and looking at how do we promote those places in relation to what scenes were filmed there. They give us the images and assets from the movie to help promote it. And then what we do is make that into content for our website and promote it through press, PR or social media. What we also do is think about what is that deeper connection to Scotland. So, we looked at the link with Mary Shelley and the fact that she lived in Scotland for some time, and worked with the National Library of Scotland, who have an amazing collection of Frankenstein material in the archive, including an amazing letter from Mary Shelley to Sir Walter Scott, who had done a review on Frankenstein. So, they actually put that on display, a one-day pop-up exhibition for the opening of the film and got a lot of people through the door who were really keen to see that letter but also a lot of the other Frankenstein-related material, which is everything from poems and books to comic books for children, a whole range of things that Frankenstein has inspired over the centuries since it was written. One thing that we're really keen to promote in Scotland is that full authenticity about a destination. And really making it set apart from somewhere else. 

Dagmar Taylor: Can you share any specific examples of communities or local businesses that have benefited significantly from film tourism? 

Jenni Steele: A lot of the tour guides have really seen an increase in approaches about Outlander tours and specifics. Especially, a lot of the visitors will come from North America, from Germany, who might perhaps not know Scotland as well and might have a shorter time here and are wanting to maybe try and go and explore as many of those places as possible. So sometimes the best way to do that is to go on an organized tour. It's everything from people wanting to visit the actual castles and the locations that they see on screen. But also, about tracing their own family ancestry and learning about clans and heritage and all those different elements of Scotland's history. A few years ago, when it was announced The Da Vinci Code film was going to be made, visitor numbers to the Rosslyn Chapel went up significantly. So, we worked really closely with the Rosslyn Chapel Trust because it is a working chapel. It's a very historic building. So, they did some amazing work on creating a lovely exhibition area with materials from the archives, about the architecture, the history, the pole building. On the back of Da Vinci Code, the interest in Rosslyn was huge, so all the income from that went back into the chapel trust and has helped with the restoration.

Dagmar Taylor: Has Scotland ever, does it ever have to deal with the downside of a location becoming too popular after appearing on screen? 

Jenni Steele: We need to be careful about how much and to what extent we do promote some locations and, in some cases, we don't over promote them but just purely because perhaps that location specifically has asked not to have a promotion and we always work very closely with location owners to check that they're happy to have promotion before we do anything. There have been a few sites, I would say specifically with Outlander, which have attracted a lot of visitors, and they may be sites which are unmanned in terms of people don't pay a ticket price, they can go there at any time and it's open to the public. So that does create wear and tear on the local land, on parking, on litter and I think actually Da Vinci Code was a good example for that too. It was a very small chapel. For us to promote that and solely that would have been wrong because we would then be contributing to a problem that then the chapel had to deal with. So, what we did was created a much broader campaign around myths and legends, so, of course, which Scotland is really well known for. So, Rosslyn and Da Vinci Code was the hook for that. But what we could also do is talk about various standing stones, Loch Ness Monster and different elements of Scotland that have mystery at their core, and that really helps spread visitors around Scotland and not put too much pressure just on Rosslyn. 

Mae: Can you describe your morning routine before you go to work? 

Michael McCreary: Usually, I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, I feed my dogs, I have a corgi, and I have a little brown poodle. Then I take them for a walk. I live on the 28th floor of my building. My dogs have lived in a city for their whole lives, so they are very used to taking the elevator. They understand it and it does not frighten them. Our walks are usually about 30 minutes long. I live near a park along the Grand Canal of China. So, we walk along the canal, then I come back. And then around seven o’clock, I leave for work. To get to work, I drive a motorbike. And it usually takes me about 30 minutes to get to work. So, I get to work around 7:30 or half past seven in the morning. 

Mae: Can you describe what your commute to work looks like? 

Michael: So I live in the center of the city called Changzhou in Jiangsu Province in eastern China. So, my neighborhood has a lot of very old streets and canals and old buildings. So, my job is in what is called a new district, which means a long time ago it was not part of the city, but has recently been added to our city. So, it is a lot of new buildings, and wide streets, and open space. So, my drive to work goes from the old narrow streets, low buildings, to a new district of big wide roads, tall skyscrapers, and open fields. 

Mae: What does your class look like? 

Michael: So, my class is very diverse, which is a lot of fun to work with. Most of them speak very good English and very good Chinese, so we can use both languages inter­changeably. 

Mae: Are there any cultural clashes in your classroom with your students? 

Michael: There are a few. It is not the international kids clashing with the Chinese kids, but it is probably a very similar cultural clash that you would find in a primary school any­where in the world, where certain students are exposed to certain movies or music or ideas that their classmates have not seen before. And you get feedback from parents complaining about things that their child’s classmates are saying or showing them in school. So, despite the international environment and despite the diversity in the classroom, I imagine the issues that we face among the students and their cultural clashes are very similar to schools all over the world. 

Mae: What is the best part about working in China? 

Michael: I’m very lucky to work at a very good school that is very well integrated into the community and provides the best sides of an international and Chinese approach to education. So, I get to be a part of a very unique blending of cultures while at the same time, getting to live in another culture that’s very different from where I grew up and being a welcomed member of the community and getting to experience something new and exciting. 

Mae: And what is your favorite thing to eat in China? 

Michael: Chongqing-style roast fish. So, it’s a big grilled fish that’s simmering in a very spicy, thick broth full of mushrooms and potatoes and peppers and other vegetables. 

Mae: Do you have any funny stories from your time as a teacher in China? 

Michael: When I lived in Nanjing, I went to the same little baozi shop every single morning, because it was on my way to work, and every morning I would get the same thing. So, one vegetable, one meat, and I did that every day for two years. And then [my wife] Yue and I moved to Thailand. And then, when we came back [from] Thailand, we went to Changzhou, and then we’ve been here now for two years. But about six months ago, I was flying to see my friend John in Bangkok, and the flight I booked was out of Nanjing. And just the way my trains and schedule worked, I ended up in Nanjing with a few hours to kill before I had to go to the airport. The airport is quite far from the center of the city. So, I took the train up to my old neighborhood, just to walk around and see it. And as I was walking around, I heard someone calling my name. I looked around, and I was walking past the old baozi shop, and I hadn’t seen [the owner] in three-and-a-half years. But the guy remembered me and called me over, and we talked for a little bit. And he was saying, “Oh, it’s been so long. Are you losing weight? You don’t eat my food anymore.” I had to tell him, “Wow, no, sorry. We moved to a different country. I’m visiting again.” But it was sweet to see that he remembered me and it was kind of a cool example of realizing you kind of become part of the community here. 

For most of his life, Professor Rory Ogilvie felt he had been born into the wrong time. As if he had been delivered into a world where he was already obsolete, where he didn’t fit. That was why he loved the university so much. Edinburgh University, nearly 500 years old and one of Scotland’s four ancient universities, had been his life, part of every day since he had first entered its halls as an 18-year-old philosophy student 40 years before. 

But it was that world of 40 years ago in which Ogilvie still lived: this other world, this new world of smartphones, of texting and messaging, of internet searching, of reality TV, of artificial intelligence doing your thinking for you – all this was like an alien planet to him. Even the way people dressed these days was something he couldn’t understand. When a student turned up to one of Ogilvie’s lectures dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, Ogilvie said, in front of the whole class: “If you want to learn about the Scottish Enlightenment and the philosophy of David Hume, then please dress appropriately. If you want to dress like a toddler, then I suggest you find a kindergarten.”

The student made a complaint to the university, and Ogilvie was forced to apologize. After that, the same student made a point of dressing even more casually, in even brighter colours, for the rest of the semester.

It had been Dr Jamie Mackinlay, the young, “trendy” lecturer who had recently joined the faculty, who supported the student. Ogilvie hated Mackinlay; hated everything he represented, mainly because he stood for change and modernity, for this new world.

Ogilvie himself preferred to dress in tweed jackets and wear heavy brogues, and even in summer was never seen with his shirt collar open, instead, always wearing a tie in the Ogilvie tartan. Considered one of Scotland’s ugliest tartans, it certainly lacked the flame-red drama of the Stewart tartan or the dark green authority of a Black Watch tartan. His tartan was a jarring mixture of dark blue and purple, yellows and reds, with even a bit of green thrown in.

Mackinlay had once joked in that nasty way of his that Ogilvie needn’t worry about spilling soup on his tie, because no one would notice it.

“It might even improve the pattern,” Mackinlay had joked.

Rory Ogilvie did his best to ignore his younger colleague, to live his life as he had done for 40 years at the university. But then, Ogilvie’s world had begun to fall apart. Mackinlay, he had heard, was going to become the new head of the department. It had been decided, Ogilvie was told, that he was too near retirement to be considered, while Mackinlay, with his new ideas in philosophy, was the ideal choice for the position.

The university had made its decision, and so Rory Ogilvie came to his own, different decision: he was going to murder Dr Jamie Mackinlay. And he was going to get away with it.

Ogilvie planned each detail carefully and noted down every movement Mackinlay made. It actually surprised him to discover that the younger man’s routine was just as predictable as his own.

One Friday night, Mackinlay had been working late in preparation for the autumn semester, and was returning to his parked car when Ogilvie pretended to be walking past by chance.

“Ah, Dr Mackinlay. I’m glad I’ve bumped into you. I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion.”

Mackinlay paused, his car door half open, the look on his face one of suspicion. “You did? Well, thank you, Professor Ogilvie. But I have to warn you that there are going to be big changes in the department.”

“As there should be, as there should be…,” Ogilvie nodded as if Mackinlay had just said something very wise. “I don’t want to take you out of your way, but I have my car here and I’d like to invite you for a glass of whisky.”

“I’m afraid I’m busy this evening,” said Mackinlay.

No, you’re not, thought Ogilvie. I know exactly your routine and you’ve got nothing on tonight, or this weekend. That’s why I picked it. What he said was: “Are you sure? I have a rather splendid 12-year-old Speyside single malt – a GlenAllachie. I think your good news deserves nothing less.”

Mackinlay again paused. “OK, I’ll follow you. Where do you live?”

“You won’t want to drive after drinking whisky,” said Ogilvie with a smile. “I’ll drive you there and you can get a taxi home. It would be difficult for you to find a parking space outside my house, so you should leave your car here at the university – it’ll be perfectly OK till the morning.”

Again, Mackinlay couldn’t decide.

“To be honest,” said Ogilvie, “I also wanted to talk to you about something. I’m thinking about retiring from the department.”

That did it, thought Ogilvie. You’ll come along now.

“OK, then,” said Mackinlay. “But just one drink.” He looked down at Ogilvie’s collar. “I see you’re still wearing that bloody awful tie…”

Killing him turned out to be so much easier than expected. Mackinlay now lay dead in front of him. Before going to work that morning, Ogilvie had rolled out a square of plastic sheeting on his living room floor. When Mackinlay stepped through the doorway ahead of him, Ogilvie grabbed the empty, heavy, crystal whisky decanter and swung it with all his strength at the back of Mackinlay’s head. The younger man toppled like a cut-down tree and landed right in the middle of the square of plastic.

There was blood, of course, but not as much as Ogilvie thought there would be, and the sheeting seemed to have caught it all. Ogilvie stood there shaking. He was not a man of violence, he told himself – he had never in his life been in so much as a playground fight, but now he had just murdered a man using brute force. The whole thing, he thought to himself, was very upsetting. It was, he thought, also a philosophically interesting situation.

He pulled himself together. Bending over the body, he pressed his fingers into Mackinlay’s neck: no pulse. He scanned the room, and even though he could see no sign of blood, he would go over every inch, scrub the wooden floor and wipe down every surface when he got back. But first, he had a journey to make: a four-hour trip there, then four hours back.

Ogilvie backed his car up to the rear door of his house. Wrapping Mackinlay’s body up in the plastic sheeting, he sealed it tight with packing tape, before dragging it out to the car and into the boot.


Loch Ness was nearly four hours from Edinburgh by car. That far north, the early autumn days in Scotland stretch long into the night. As he drove, the sky turned golden, then red, then velvet dark blue. The cottage he had rented for the weekend was far from its nearest neighbour, but right on the shore of the loch. As soon as he arrived, Ogilvie dragged the plastic-sealed body to the rowboat next to the cottage, wrapped it in the heavy chains lying ready in the boat and rowed out into the middle of the loch. 

Loch Ness is the second-biggest lake in Scotland, and the second deepest. It holds more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. But it was the depth of Loch Ness that had brought Ogilvie here: things, people, secrets could be lost there and stay lost in its silent, black depths. If it hadn’t been for the dark nature of his mission, the row out to the centre of the loch would have been pleasant. The sky was clear and the band of the Milky Way arced over the loch and the mountains beyond. When he reached the middle of the loch, he eased Mackinlay’s body over the side, taking care not to capsize the boat. The body sank quickly and without a trace.

Ogilvie felt an enormous sense of relief and started to row back to the shore, the water smooth and silken in the night. He was halfway back when he thought he saw something pass beneath the boat – a vast, dark shape moving quickly and silently a few feet below the surface. Then it was gone.

He paused for a moment, the boat motionless on the silent loch, thinking about what it was he might have seen. He shook his head free of thoughts of dark myths and lurking monsters, and began rowing again.


Back in Edinburgh, Ogilvie spent the rest of the weekend cleaning his car and his house – especially the living room. He was shocked to find a single speck of blood on a bookshelf, so he scrubbed and cleaned the whole room a second and then a third time. He had to be sure, completely sure, and so at midnight on the Sunday, he started all over again and cleaned the whole house once more. Finally, convinced that he had removed every trace of his crime, and exhausted by his cleaning, he lay down on the sofa fully clothed and fell asleep.

The next morning, he was woken up by the doorbell and got up to answer the door. Standing there were a man and a woman in business suits. Behind them was a police constable in uniform.

“Professor Ogilvie?” asked the woman. “I’m Detective Inspector Strathearn. We’re investigating the disappearance of Dr Mackinlay.”

“Jamie?” Ogilvie pretended surprise. “Jamie’s missing?”

“I’m afraid so. We believe you might have been the last person to see him. Do you mind if we come inside?”

Ogilvie smiled broadly. There was nothing there for them to find. Not a trace. They would never be able to prove anything. “Of course, please come in.” He stood to one side to let them pass.

Inspector Strathearn paused as she passed him. She was looking at his tie and frowning.

“Oh, that’s my family tartan,” he said.

“Interesting design. But I think you’ve got something on your tie.” She leaned in to examine it more closely. “I could be wrong, but it looks like blood…”