Over The Sea To Skye
The STARZ show Outlander has aired since 2014, achieving a large following and critical acclaim. Based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, it follows a WWII nurse who is transported back in time to 18th-century Scotland. While the story is full of twists and turns, there are just as many fascinating behind-the-scenes facts. Beware: Spoilers ahead.
A Sci-Fi Inspiration
Time-traveling fiction isn’t anything new to the UK. So when author Diana Gabaldon was watching an episode of Doctor Who, the show’s time travel and the Scottish character of Jamie McCrimmon—a Jacobite—inspired many aspects of her series. Naturally, this inspiration would eventually lead to her first novel.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
It Almost Wasn’t Published
Outlander has many facets, featuring sci-fi elements, romance, politics, and historical action. Unfortunately, this almost led to disaster, as when Diana Gabaldon was coming out with her first novel, the publishers weren’t sure how to market it. Although it made it to shelves, Gabaldon later learned they almost canceled it altogether.
She’s Very Involved
Like many of the best film or TV adaptations, Outlander has kept the creator of its source material involved in its production. Although the TV series takes several liberties, Gabaldon is frequently consulted regarding scripts or story-altering decisions. She was also given the chance to become even more involved.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
A Special Cameo
Outlander viewers who hadn’t followed the novels may have overlooked a specific cameo early in the first season, in an episode titled, “The Gathering”. In her acting debut as the wife of a wealthy merchant, Diana Gabaldon seized the opportunity to join her novel’s only on-screen adaptation. However, there was nearly another adaptation years before.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
It Was Nearly A Movie
According to Diana Gabaldon, the novels were almost adapted into a film years before the Outlander TV series began development. It never got far enough to start production, but several actors were allegedly attached, including Katherine Heigl as the protagonist, Claire. Of course, Claire wasn’t the only one with a casting choice in mind.
www.lukeford.net, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Others In Mind For Jamie
Regarding the series’ other protagonist, Jamie Fraser, a few recognizable actors were imagined for his role in the prospective film. As strange as it may be to picture now, Liam Neeson and Sean Connery were both considered. Fortunately for fans, Sam Heughan was eventually cast in the TV series and got the most important approval of all.
The Author’s Blessing
Sam Heughan seems like the perfect casting for the role of Jamie, but it’s not just the fans who think so. When casting was underway, Diana Gabaldon saw Heughan’s audition tape, and it took her five seconds to realize that he was the perfect Jamie Fraser. However, not every role was as easy to cast.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
The Hardest Role
Compared to casting Jamie Fraser, Claire—the other lead—was much more difficult. The showrunner was looking for very specific qualities that, thankfully after a long search, they found in Caitríona Balfe. One necessity was the chemistry between Claire’s actress and Jamie’s actor, which wasn’t a problem in this case.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
An Instant Connection
When casting a pair of leads, filming a screen test is often the final step in gauging how they are with each other. When it comes to Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, their screen test showed their chemistry in a written scene, as well as in their interactions off-screen. Of course, Jamie isn’t Claire’s only romantic partner on the show.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
They Wrote Love Letters
Filming intimate scenes can very easily be an awkward experience. Fortunately for Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies—who plays Frank Randall, her first husband—they had a solution. To make each other more comfortable, Balfe and Menzies wrote love letters in character to each other.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
She Was A Model
Before being cast as the time-traveling nurse, Claire, Caitriona Balfe was still front and center as a model for brands like Victoria’s Secret and Louis Vuitton. She has since detailed the epic highs and lows of this period leading up to her acting career. Of course, Sam Heughan had experience on a very different kind of runway.
He’s An Athlete
If Jamie Fraser always looks fit, it’s only because Sam Heughan has done the work. While Outlander’s fourth season was being filmed, Heughan took some time to participate in two marathons supporting Cahonas Scotland, a charity raising awareness of testicular cancer. However, for all the real athleticism he brings to it, something about him isn’t as real.
Not His Natural Hair
Despite being instantly recognizable as Jamie Fraser, Sam Heughan’s appearance doesn’t match his literary counterpart. Specifically, unlike the redheaded Jamie, Heughan has naturally blonde hair which he continuously dyes ginger. Balancing this out, later in the series, he brought more authenticity in one specific aspect.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
A Real Press
In Outlander’s third season, Claire and Jamie have their long-awaited reunion in the printing press where Jamie works. The last two credits are presented differently during the title cards, printed onto paper by the printing press. This was actually Sam Heughan’s print job, as what was used in the episode was a replica 18th-century press.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
He Learned The Language
John Bell plays Young Ian, the nephew of Jamie, who eventually grows closer to a Mohawk community in America. To prepare, Bell did everything he could to learn about Mohawk culture, including learning the language through an online course and working with Mohawk elders. However, while Ian may be Claire and Jamie’s nephew, they do have their own child.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
She Became Their Daughter
Jamie and Claire’s daughter, Brianna, is just as layered and complex as her parents. Sophie Skelton, who played the role, prepared for it by studying Sam Heughan’s and Caitriona Balfe’s mannerisms to factor them into her performance. The result was an unmistakable adaptation of their child.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
It Was His Real Voice
Brianna and her love interest, Roger, attend a Highland festival in season 4, where he performs a traditional Scottish folk song and a Scottish jig. Roger’s actor, Richard Rankin, is a talented musician, so he actually sang and played these songs on guitar.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Medieval Housing
Even before Outlander, Sam Heughan was seemingly destined for the role, if the place he grew up in is any indication. As a child, Heughan and his family lived on the grounds of Kenmure Castle, in New Galloway, Scotland. Of course, the show itself features some authentic locations as well.
Historic Locations
While the series uses manufactured sets like other shows, it has also had the honor of using real-life historical locations in Scotland. The village of Falkland was used for Inverness, Dysart Harbor was passed off as Le Havre Harbor, and the show’s Castle Leoch was, in reality, Doune Castle. However, Outlander isn’t this castle’s only on-screen appearance.
A Famous Castle
Aside from appearing in Outlander as Castle Leoch, Scotland’s real-life Doune Castle has featured in several other projects. In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it was used as a castle manned by some very rude knights, and in the Game of Thrones pilot, it became Winterfell. Of course, the show didn’t only disguise these locations as places in Scotland.
Robert Cutts, UK, CC BY 2.0,Wikimedia Commons
It Remains In Scotland
Throughout the series, Outlander’s main characters travel across Europe, and to a different continent entirely. However, this is just a bit of film trickery, as the show’s depictions of Paris and the US are both still filmed at locations in Scotland. Although the larger filming location never changes, the sets are slightly different.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
An Evolving TV Set
Aside from the real-life filming locations, Outlander still features many amazing sets built for the series. The goal is accuracy to the period, so even the most minute set elements are considered, and constantly reframed or adjusted. However, one small part of the sets may get overlooked by fans.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Just The Right Lighting
In pursuit of authenticity, the team behind Outlander has elected not to use LED or fluorescent lighting for their locations. This has led to the warm, old-fashioned ambiance in many of their sets, created in no small part by using natural lighting and intentionally placed candles.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Historically Accurate Weaponry
Given that Outlander is full of brave warriors and epic battles, one of the most prominent aspects of the show is its weapons. Specifically, in the Battle of Culloden featured in the third season, historian Tony Pollard was consulted so that the look of the battle and the weapons used would be accurate. However, this quest for accuracy doesn’t stop at sets or props.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
A Non-Fictional Character
While most of the main characters in Outlander are fictional people placed in historically inspired settings, the series has included a few real figures from history. One such example was one of the show’s antagonists, William Tryon, who was a real Governor during the time of the Regulator movement.
N.C. Museum of History., Wikimedia Commons
The Skye Boat
Outlander’s opening theme isn’t only a beautiful song, but one far older than viewers may think. “The Skye Boat Song” is an altered version of a Scottish tune that originally sang about the Jacobite uprising, but even that was an adaptation of a late-1700s Gaelic song. However, this is far from the only Gaelic remnant to make it into the show.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Staying True To The Language
With the show featuring many characters speaking Gaelic, there was the question of if it would be translated for the audience. The developer decided against translation because, since Claire doesn’t know Gaelic, viewers would further see the world through her eyes. However, when it comes to 1700s languages, there is one nitpicky inaccuracy.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Not Okay
While Outlander strives for authenticity and does very well, nothing is perfect. One small historical inaccuracy is that in a few instances, characters who aren’t from the future say the word “OK”. Considered an American creation, it wasn’t widely used until the mid-1800s, about a century after the show’s major time period.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Real-Looking Costumes
While some costumes in the series are meant to be regal and expensive, others—like British uniforms—are meant to look worn. So, the costume department makes them look tattered by processes like ripping the seams or burning the fabric with blowtorches. Still, just because they are made to look already worn, it doesn’t mean they aren’t handled conscientiously.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Made With Care
With Outlander’s wide range of fashion, creating all the costumes is daunting. However, the show’s costume department is clearly up to the challenge, as many of the outfits—both elegant and plain—are handmade, including any embroidering or dyeing. Of course, comfortability is an important factor in costume design, in some pieces more than others.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
No Bottoms
In another effort towards authenticity, many Scottish men in Outlander are frequently dressed in kilts. Furthermore, as one of the more obscure behind-the-scenes facts, to be accurate and comfortable, the actors elected to wear their kilts traditionally—that is, without anything underneath.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Jamie Takes The Longest
Unlike other similar shows, Outlander doesn’t have too much use for fantastical prosthetics or special effects. The exception is Sam Heughan, whose application of makeup and fake back scars takes at least two hours for every shirtless scene. However, he’s not the only one who had to go through an intense experience.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Trial By Fire
Although the series mostly takes place in the past, Claire starts as a nurse during WWII. In the pilot episode, a fairly bloody scene displays her experience when she helps a severely wounded soldier. As if the scene wasn’t intense enough, it was the first scene that Caitriona Balfe filmed for the series.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Intimate Choreography
Along with all the action, Outlander is known for its romance and many intimate scenes, but seeing as it began in 2014, they had little oversight in filming. However, as of season 6, an intimacy coordinator has been brought on to choreograph these scenes and ensure everyone is comfortable. Of course, these aren’t the only scenes requiring much choreography.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
Like A Real Battle
One of the show’s most climactic moments is the real-life Battle of Culloden, shown at the beginning of season 3. Although they had stunt doubles, both Tobias Menzies—who played Black Jack Randall—and Sam Heughan did a lot of real fighting. Menzies especially felt the effects, taking 12 hours to sleep off the first day of filming.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
An HBO Comparison
As Game of Thrones debuted three years before Outlander, the two aired alongside each other until the former’s finale in 2019. Naturally, fans and critics alike were eager to compare the two, based on their similarities. Both shows feature castles, swordplay, the politics of the ruling powers, and intensely explicit scenes—and once explicit scene caused a world of hurt for star Sam Heughan.
It was already bad enough having to film a scene in which his character, Jamie, gets assaulted by Frank Randall (played by Tobias Menzies), but Heughan says it was all made worse by showing "unnecessary" full frontal in the scene. Heughan pushed back against the nudity and it was eventually only included in the scene after the horrific assault, but the actor admitted that the decision to include it all betrayed his trust in the creative team for a while.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
A Split Demographic
Outlander has been called Game of Thrones for feminists for many reasons, such as its being authored by a woman and featuring a female lead. However, it may surprise some that the pilot brought in a more diverse audience, with nearly half of all viewers being male.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
A Record Holder
With Outlander’s final season officially set, the show is set to conclude with eight seasons in total. Even now with 83 episodes in seven seasons, the series holds the record of most episodes and most seasons of any STARZ series. However, this isn’t the show’s only legacy.
Left Bank Pictures, Outlander (2014-)
It Brought In Tourists
With such a popular and beloved series, it’s natural for fans of Outlander to want to immerse themselves in it as much as possible. Fortunately, since much of the show is filmed at real locations in Scotland, these fans can visit them in person. Thanks to this tourism, visitors to these historical sites have risen by at least 200%.
A Way To See The Locations
Thankfully, there’s a solution for fans who want to visit Outlander’s locations but don’t know where they’re going. Many companies offer tours specific to the series, both guided and self-guided, that bring visitors to the many castles, villages, and other sites seen in the show.
.jpg){kind=link}
