When will "Outlander" come in-land?
Now that the referendum is over, will the strath’s TV viewers finally get to see “Outlander”?
The drama series based on Diana Gabaldon’s blockbusting novels was partly filmed here earlier this year, and “outlandish” rumour had it that TV companies didn’t want to release it while the great independence debate was raging.
Film buffs have found no hard evidence to back up that claim, but either way, they wonder if a deal is now imminent that will give viewers the chance to see their own landscape being woven into the story of honeymooning Claire Randall, who wanders from 1946 Highlands through a stone circle and suddenly finds herself in 1743, two years before the beginning of the Jacobite Uprising.
Promptly falling for dashing Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a young Scottish warrior, she soon becomes torn between her desire for him and her devotion to husband Frank, who’s still in the future.
The couple filmed several scenes at Newtonmore’s Highland Folk Museum and others in the hills above Aviemore.
The series has been aired elsewhere in Europe but a deal is still awaited in Britain - despite the ever-growing demand for the show.
A spokesman for the public relations firm which handling the British filming explained that Sony was dealing with the series, promising that the “Strathy” would be kept in the loop of any imminent announcements.
Trailers and whole episodes can already be enjoyed on-line and “Outlander”, a British-American project created by Ronald D. Moore and produced by Left Bank Pictures for Starz, the makers of hit show Battlestar Galactica.
Outlander began its first run of 16 episodes on August 9.
On August 15 Starz renewed the series for a second season of at least 13 episodes, which will be based on Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in Gabaldon’s series.
The series features an impressive list of British stars including Bill Paterson, Annette Badland, Tim McInnerny and Simon Callow.
It premiered on HBO in the Netherlands on August 11 and in Australia on Foxtel’s SoHo three days later.
Japanese viewers were introduced to it on August 29.
It has generally received rave reviews and is expected to do just as well in Britain - once it gets an airing.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 89% “certified fresh” critics rating, with an average of 7.8/10 based on 46 reviews.
The website consensus reads: “Outlander is a unique, satisfying adaptation of its source material, brought to life by lush scenery and potent chemistry between its leads.”
Gabaldon was inspired to choose 18th century Scotland as the setting for her novels because of a Doctor Who episode featuring a man in a kilt from the 1700s. The author recently admitted, however, that she hadn’t visited Scotland before writing the book and used library research to shape a vision of her chosen setting. She has now been here several times and claims it is “exactly” how she imagined it.
Several places across Scotland including Falkland, Culross and the Highland Folk Museum are featured in the show.
