Hot Picks: Lockerbie: A Search For Truth

This drama, based on the tragic true story of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the quiet Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988, comes with a stellar cast, including Colin Firth, Catherine McCormack and Mark Bonnar.

The series centres on the real figure of Dr Jim Swire (Firth), whose daughter was a passenger on the flight, and who became the nominated spokesperson for the UK victims’ families as they united to demand the truth.

The series was announced to much fanfare in 2022 as the first scripted co-commission from Comcast siblings Sky and NBC Universal streamer Peacock. As NBCU executive vicepresident of digital distribution and global content strategy Rob Bell points out, while the tragedy happened in Scotland, the incident had a global impact, with nearly two-thirds of the 270 victims American.

“This heartbreaking story explores one of the most significant moments in history but also has themes that are universal,” he says. “At its heart, it delves into loss and grief, and how a parent’s love knows no bounds.”

Bell says approaching the story from the perspective of Swire will help it appeal to all audiences, including those with no prior knowledge of the tragedy.

Carnival Films chief executive Gareth Neame and managing director Nigel Marchant, exec producers on the show, say the test for them was “balancing the reality of the horror with total sensitivity”.

“We knew we had to show the most sensitive element – the crash itself. So it was about finding a way to show the scale of the horror but without it feeling voyeuristic or bad taste.

“We also needed to convey how the aftermath and legacy of the disaster has profoundly affected the families of victims and the residents of Lockerbie, but knew this couldn’t be exploitative.”

The show employed numerous researchers and fact checkers throughout production. However, certain events and characters were changed for “dramatic purposes” and “to create a clear narrative” for the audience.

Bell points out the “world-class” talent involved, not least Oscar-winning Firth, whom he says “gives a stellar, heartbreaking performance”, while “the wonderful Catherine McCormack as Jane Swire elevates the series even further”.

Marchant and Neame also flag the impact of lead writer David Harrower and director Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders; The Winter King) who “dig into the thriller elements without forgetting the emotional heart of the story”.

“David managed to layer the programme with so many varied themes and subtext,” they add. “And we’ve always admired Otto’s visual flair and the extraordinary performances he gets from actors. He is methodical, with brilliant attention to detail, and we knew he could deliver on the emotional story while emboldening the thriller elements.”

Bell says Lockerbie has already landed pre-sales several months out from release next year: “The talent helps makes this a premium, worldclass production, which we are so proud to be taking out to market.”