Outlander’s Lauren Lyle stars in a BBC and Netflix series
Lauren Lyle, known for her role in the Starz drama series Outlander, has opened up about her latest venture away from the popular show.
The 31 year old Glasgow native is widely recognized for her portrayal of Marsali Fraser in the epic series, a role she’s held from 2017 to 2022 and will reprise in the upcoming final eighth season.
Her next project, however, sees her starring in the BBC and Netflix’s The Bombing of Pan Am 103, a fact-based drama centered on the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
In this new endeavor, Lyle steps into the shoes of June McCusker, wife of detective Ed McCusker, played by Connor Swindells, who worked relentlessly with teams in the UK and the USA to track down those responsible for the horrific terrorist attack.
During a press screening in London, Lyle spoke to media outlets including Reach Screen Time, discussing the parallels and contrasts between Outlander and The Bombing of Pan Am 103, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
“It’s a really different thing. Outlander is a very fantasy sort of thing. The scale of the sets is probably similar in places,” Lyle shared.
She added: “On Outlander they build enormous, very cinematic, incredibly detailed sets for things.
“I never actually visited the bomb site for this, but I saw lots of footage for stuff and Connor would send me stuff because we would be speaking and it was very detailed. It looked really mass scale.”
Lyle further noted the meticulous attention to detail on the set of the McCusker’s house, right down to the 1980s video game consoles and games, even the pancakes in the kitchen.
Lyle wrapped up with, “Everyone was very dedicated to making sure it was authentic and it definitely felt large, a really big productions involved.”
The actress, known for her roles in Karen Pirie and Vigil, delved into her reasons for taking part in The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Speaking of the project’s personal resonance, she shared: “I think being Scottish, it’s a very personal story that I’ve grown up [with]. I didn’t live through it but my parents did and my family did and it’s always, always been something I’ve known a lot about.
“It’s something we never really talk about and everyone sort of grimaces. Lockerbie is really known as ‘that place that that happened’.”
Her path to joining the series began when she learned that World Productions, the team behind her ITV detective show Karen Pirie, was developing The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Intrigued by the production, Lyle noted the story’s stark status in history and expressed she would be “honoured” to take on any role within the series.
The six-part series The Bombing of Pan Am 103 takes audiences into the heart of the investigative storm, tracing the efforts of those pursuing answers in the immediate aftermath of the terror attack, working tirelessly to thwart future tragedies.
Lyle will star alongside Swindells in a stellar ensemble cast, which includes Patrick J. Adams, Eddie Marsan, Merritt Wever, Peter Mullan, Phyllis Logan, and Tony Curran, to name a few.
The BBC plans to release two episodes weekly on Sundays and Mondays for the upcoming three weeks, after which Netflix will roll out the show worldwide.