The BBC and Netflix Lockerbie drama is a six-part series based on the real-life bombing of Pam Am flight 103 over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie. Starring Sex Education’s Connor Swindells, Suits’ star Patrick J. Adams, Ozark’s Peter Mullan and Ridley Road’s Eddie Marsan, it tells of the 1988 tragedy which killed 270 people and was Britain's worst-ever terror attack.
The BBC One series follows the events of December 21 that year and the joint Scottish-American investigation that sought to bring the perpetrators to justice. It's also made by World Productions, the company behind Anne, the hit drama about Hillsborough mother and campaigner Anne Williams, so it’s set to be a hard-hitting watch.
Here’s all you need to know about Lockerbie on BBC One and Netflix…
Lockerbie release date
The six-part series Lockerbie will be shown on BBC One and BBCiPlayer in the UK followed by a global release on Netflix. As soon as a 2025 release date is announced, we’ll update you on this page.
Please note there is an entirely different drama called Lockerbie coming to Sky within the same time period and starring Colin Firth. Read about this alternate Lockerbie here...
Plot
It will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the residents of Lockerbie and the families who lost loved ones. The bomb and resulting crash into the town’s streets killed 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans. The drama details the exhaustive search for evidence on the ground and takes us right through to the trial in 2000 and the most recent indictment in 2022.
Is there a trailer?
Not yet but when a Lockerbie trailer is released by the BBC or Netflix, we’ll add it to this page for you to enjoy.
Lockerbie drama cast — Connor Swindells
Although details of the Lockerbie cast’s roles are still under wraps, the series stars Connor Swindells. He won himself a legion of fans playing Adam Groff in the Netflix show Sex Education from 2019 from 2023. He also had a role in the Barbie movie and has starred in SAS Rogue Heroes, Emma, The Vanishing, Jamestown and Vigil.
Patrick J Adams
Also in a major role in Lockerbie is Patrick J Adamis best known for his role as Mike Ross in Suits alongside Meghan Markle. He’s also starrred in A League of Their Own, Plan B, The Right Stuff, Rosemary’s Baby, Orphan Black and The Swearing Jar.
Who else is starring?
TheI cast also includes Merritt Wever (Unbelievable, Godless), Peter Mullan (Ozark, Payback), Tony Curran (Mary & George, Mayflies) Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road, The Pact), Lauren Lyle (Karen Pirie, Vigil), Andrew Rothney (The Undeclared War, Traces), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey, Shetland, Guilt), Parker Sawyers (Spy/Master, P-Valley), James Harkness (The Sixth Commandment, The Victim), Khalid Laith (Vigil, Cobra), and Amanda Drew (The Gold, Wolf).
Behind the scenes, filming news and more
Filming of Lockerbie began in Scotland in early 2024 and then continues in Malta and Toronto, Canada.
The lead writer of Lockerbie is acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Jonathan Lee, with two episodes written by Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park. The six-part series is produced by World Productions (United, the story of the Munich air disaster, and Anne, the drama about Hillsborough mother and justice campaigner Anne Williams) in association with MGM Television (The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes, Fargo) and Night Train Media (Rogue Agent, Catch me a Killer). Lockerbie was initially developed by MGM Television and Night Train Media.
The producer is Julia Stannard (United, War and Peace, Anne) and Michael Keillor (Chimerica, Roadkill, Best Interests) is the director. The project was initiated by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths whose research includes extensive interviews with Scottish police officers and representatives from United States investigative agencies, many of whom have never previously shared their stories.
The executive producers are Simon Heath and Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark and Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures, Adam Morane-Griffiths, Sara Curran, Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media, Michael Keillor; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. The co-executive producer is Joe Hill. Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin will oversee for Netflix. Lockerbie is produced by World Productions, an ITV Studios company, in association with MGM Television and Night Train Media.
All about the real-life Lockerbie disaster
On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb 38 minutes after take-off. It had flown from London Heathrow and was on route to JFK airport in New York. All 243 passengers and 16 crew were killed and 11 residents of Lockerbie, a small Scottish town, also lost their lives as the plane crashed into its residential streets.
Warrants were issued for the arrest of two Libyan nationals in 1991 but it wasn’t until 1999, after protracted negotiations, that Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi handed them over for trial. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was jailed for life in 2001, but released on compassionate grounds in 2009, three years before his death from prostate cancer. However, it is widely disputed that he acted alone. In 2003 Gaddafi accepted Libya’s responsibility for the bombing but refused to admit that he personally ordered the attack, despite claims to the contrary.
