It has been more than 25 years since Mel Gibson painted his face two-thirds blue, pulled on a kilt and howled: “They may take our lives but they’ll never take our freedom.” The film won five Oscars and made box office history for its bloody battle scenes and literal cast of thousands. It also irked many historians for taking creative liberties with the plot. But now it has been claimed that Braveheart did more to bring visitors to Scotland than its own national tourism body could have achieved in 20 years. Tom Buncle, who was chief executive of the Scottish Tourist Board at the time, said nothing since has compared to the influence of Mel Gibson’s epic William Wallace tale.