The fictional town of Torbay in Alistair MacLean's novel "When Eight Bells Toll" was based on Tobermory, and much of the 1971 movie was filmed in the town and other parts of Mull. The writer Saki gave the name to a talking cat in one of his most famous short stories and two well-loved children's TV series have made use of the town's name. Elisabeth Beresford called one of the Wombles 'Tobermory', and more recently the town played host to its almost-namesake "Balamory" for three years (2002–2005).