Outlander to be honoured for 'outstanding' contribution to television at Scottish BAFTAs
The show ended this year after eight seasons
The crew behind hit TV series Outlander have praised Scotland as a “country which opened its doors” to them as it is set to be honoured with an award for its outstanding contribution to television.
Sam Heughan is among a group of people associated with the show, which concluded earlier this year after 12 years and eight seasons, who will receive the award at the Scottish BAFTA awards later this month.
The internationally renowned series is based on the Diana Gabaldon novels of the same name. The Outlander legacy, which has been credited with driving tourism in Scotland, continues with the prequel, Outlander: Blood of my Blood.
Known as the Outlander Effect, fans of the show have flocked to sites where the series was filmed, including Newhailes House, Blackness Castle, and Culloden Battlefield, sparking a huge increase in visitor numbers.
The award will be presented to four individuals who have been instrumental in the show’s impact on the industry and audiences: Ronald D Moore, who developed the series, produced by Sony Pictures Television, for television and served as an executive producer; Matthew B Roberts, who served as showrunner and executive producer and Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who both starred in the series and served as executive producers.
The Outlander Training Programme, established ahead of Outlander’s first series, has supported more than 170 new entrants through intensive on-the-job training alongside some of the industry’s most experienced technicians. It will continue through Blood of my Blood.
Mr Roberts said: “When we first landed in Scotland, we were outsiders – sassenachs – strangers in a strange land telling a very Scottish story. What we found was a country that opened its doors and a crew that opened their hearts. They welcomed us, guided us when we needed it, and made us feel like we belonged. That welcome is the real heart of Outlander and Blood of My Blood. And it never ended. Thirteen years on and I don’t feel like a visitor when I step off the plan; I feel like I’m home.”
Mr Moore said: “Since we first came to Scotland many years ago and decided to shoot the show here, it has been a tremendous pleasure to work with our Scottish crew, to utilise the Scottish locations and to learn more about Scottish culture and history and it’s been a huge joy for all of us on the production, especially those of us from North America who perhaps did not know as much about Scotland as we should have but who learned so much down through the years.”
Bafta Scotland also revealed that the outstanding contribution to craft award, in memory of Robert McCann, will be presented to Lloret MacKenna Dunm, a supervising location manager in Scotland’s film and TV industry.
Ms Dunm has been bringing Scottish locations to the screen for over 30 years, and her work includes the upcoming Sky series Meantime, The Great Beyond, Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, The Lost King, T2: Trainspotting, Doctor Finlay and much-loved Scottish comedies Only An Excuse? and Rab C Nesbitt.
The Bafta Scotland Awards 2026 will take place on Sunday November 15 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Glasgow Central, in a ceremony hosted by Edith Bowman.
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