The historical drama series Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon's novels, has become a television success
, and despite its fictional plot, much of the story is based on historical events. Madeleine Pelling and Rosie Waine investigate
the authentic 18th-century events and artifacts used to bring history to life on screen.
The popular television series Outlander follows its protagonists from the battlefields of WWII
to the Jacobite risings of the 18th century and colonial North Carolina on the eve of the American Revolution
Based on Diana Gabaldon's novels, the drama employs a time-slip narrative in which its protagonist Claire (Caitriona Balfe) jumps between
the 1940s and the 1740s to play fast and loose with history. Far from being wrong, the show is deeply concerned in how we perceive and imagine the past.
It combines parts of fact and fantasy to explore various 'what ifs' of Scottish history by touching on major events and incorporating well-known historical characters.