Singer Sarah Brightman has dug deep into her own pockets to save a £5m film currently being shot in southern Scotland from collapse, according to insiders on the movie.

Singer Sarah Brightman has dug deep into her own pockets to save a £5m film currently being shot in southern Scotland from collapse, according to insiders on the movie.

Producers of the romantic comedy Cosi were facing financial difficulties and the project was in doubt right up until the last minute. But shooting is now under way at the palatial Manderston House in Berwickshire.

Brightman is co-starring in the film with Richard E Grant, although former Bond girl Rosamund Pike has mysteriously dropped out. The screenplay was apparently the last written by Sir John Mortimer, of Rumpole fame, who died in January.

An insider involved in the film revealed Ms Brightman, the former Mrs Andrew Lloyd Webber and dancer in Hot Gossip, saved the day in a deal that involved up to £400,000 of her own money.

The film's official spokeswoman Wendy Kidd initially said the producers would not discuss any aspect of the budget.

Cosi is produced by Stephen Evans, whose credits include Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and The Madness of King George. His 14 feature films have garnered 11 Oscar nominations and won two Oscars. He declined to comment on Cosi.

SC Films International's website describes Cosi as "a movie which fuses the stately grandeur of Gosford Park with the magical music of Amadeus for a unique story of love's fluctuating fortunes, set against a sumptuous backdrop".

Sarah Brightman could not be contacted for comment.