Outlander season 6 cast: the new characters joining Sam Heughan in Starz drama - and which other faces will return?

Outlander Season 6 is due to be released in the UK in 2022.

Fans are watching the Outlander cast’s every move while they eagerly await season six of the time-travelling Starz drama.

As an end to the Droughtlander is now in sight, there is much speculation about who will feature in the latest series alongside Scots actor Sam Heughan and leading lady Caitriona Balfe.

It comes as it was revealed that the show has been renewed for a seventh season.

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe both return for Outlander season six (Starz)

So, who are the brand new cast members featuring in season six - and which other characters are returning to Outlander?

Here is everything you need to know.

Is Outlander on Netflix? How to watch all of the show’s episodes before season 6 release

Who are the new Outlander cast members?

The Christie family join the Outlander cast for season six (Starz)

Three new actors will join the Outlander cohort - and fans may recognise them from other programmes.

The fresh names joining the popular show’s credits are Mark Lewis Jones, Alexander Vlahos and Jessica Reynolds.

They play the Christie family, with Reynolds taking on the role of Malva, Vlahos playing her older brother Allen and Jones portraying their father Tom.

While Reynolds is a new addition to the acting world after she made her debut in BBC Three’s My Left Nut last year, Vlahos has previously featured in Merlin and Death in Paradise.

But it is Welshman Jones who is most recognisable, namely from his role in the award-winning Chernobyl drama.

He is a regular on British television, also featuring in The Crown and Gangs of London.

Outlander fans who are familiar with the Diana Gabaldon books which the show is based on will know how much the Christie family’s arrival affects life at Fraser’s Ridge.

In the series, Tom Christie will travel to the ridge looking for a place to settle with Malva and Allen, while the latter character takes on the role of protecting his family after their move.

Yet it is Malva who fans are most interested in, as according to the sixth Outlander novel, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, she becomes close to Claire as her “apprentice”.

Who else is returning to the Outlander season 6 cast?

Along with the new arrivals, most of Outlander’s main stars will be returning for season six of the show.

Of course, Sam Heughan will be back as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe will return as Claire Randall Fraser.

Scottish actor Richard Rankin will also play Roger Wakefield again, while Sophie Skelton is back as Brianna Randall.

One person who probably won’t be returning to the show - unless he is featured in flashbacks - is Duncan Lacroix, after his character Murtagh Fraser was killed in battle in season five.

Speaking about his exit, Lacroix told Collider: "I found out just before the beginning of the season... because I was optioned for six seasons.

“But yeah, it kind of finally ran its course and they dropped the bomb on me before we started filming the season."

What will happen in Outlander season 6?

The latest season is expected to loosely follow Diana Gabaldon’s sixth book in her series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Yet, that doesn’t mean the plot will stick closely to the events in the book, as some episodes in season five strayed away from the source material.

Executive producer of the show, Ronald Moore, told Entertainment Weekly that the team has stuck to a book a season so far - but that could change in the future.

He said: “Should we keep it a book a season? We've done that up until now. But we've talked about splitting books, and we've talked about combining them.

"We want to be free in the writers' room to pick and choose and do what feels most comfortable that year."

What we do know about season six is that it will focus on the aftermath of the dramatic season five finale.

Brianna found out she had a half-brother called William, so fans will be wondering if she will finally get to meet him.

Claire also experienced a lot of trauma during season five, after she was kidnapped and assaulted - so will the ordeal have lasting effects on her which materialise in season six?

And one of the major season five twists was that Jamie Fraser’s family are not the only time travellers in the universe, which could be explored more in the subsequent series.