The week in business

A look behind the stories with Colette Sexton

Alfie Allen in a scene from Game of Thrones, filmed at Ballintoy Harbour

The tourists are coming

Ed Sheeran’s clunky cameo in the first episode of season seven of Game of Thrones may have had fans howling in protest last week, but north of the border, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about this HBO blockbuster.

And who could blame them, because to describe it as a money-spinner for the North is a severe understatement.

The production dividend – the ...