Meet the latest Outlander casting

There is plenty of swooning over Outlander's leading lads and lassies.

The Northern Inuits who will play Rollo in season four of Outlander. PIC: Facebook

But be prepared for a new level of admiration after two adorable Northern Inuit puppies were cast to star in season four of the hugely popular series.

The dogs will play Rollo, a wolf hybrid who becomes a loyal member of Clan Fraser.

Author Diana Gabaldon introduces the dog in Drums of Autumn, the fourth book in the Outlander series.

She announced the new recruits in a Facebook post following an interview with US-based magazine Entertainment Weekly.

The writer, who is due in Scotland this month for a string of Outlander-related events, said: “They look cute, but tough. They should be just right to play Rollo when the time comes.

“They’d need to growl and look menacing on command, I think, and carry back prey of one kind or another to their master. I assume they wouldn’t let them catch things on camera … especially fish, of course.”

Filming on season three of the television series has been taking place in South Africa but producers are due to start training the dogs as soon as possible for their appearance in the subsequent series, it is understood.

Rollo comes into the Outlander story after young Ian Murray meets him on the docks in North Carolina after winning him in a card game.

A spokesman for Starz, which produces the programme, said: “The dog will play a key part in the adventure that lies ahead.”

Season three of Outlander is due to air in September.