Outlander stars Catriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin reveal there’s more drama and danger ahead in the new season of the time-travelling series.
A new season of Outlander begins on Monday, and it seems that war is coming, illness is everywhere, and the nation has never been more divided. Sound familiar? After a two year absence caused by Covid-19 and a heartbreaking season finale that saw our hero Claire Fraser suffer a traumatic assault, three of the show’s stars – Catriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin – dropped the goss on just what Outlander fans can expect from season six.
Balfe stars as time-travelling doctor Claire Fraser, who spent the last five seasons being threatened, attacked, almost burned at the stake and imprisoned with a talking coconut. She’s already been through a lot, but Balfe reveals this season Claire unravels in ways we’ve never before. The aftermath of last season’s brutal kidnapping and assault reaches far into season six, and we’re about to see a new side to a woman who previously seemed infallible.
“Even though Claire has experienced trauma before, she’s always been able to compartmentalise and move on,” Balfe says. “This was such a catastrophic event that we felt it was important to show that this coping mechanism doesn’t serve her any more. So how does she then cope and what are the processes that she goes through?”
Adding to Claire’s stress are the Christies, a new family who arrive on Fraser’s Ridge and immediately create drama. Tom Christie was a prisoner at Ardsmuir with Jamie, and it’s not long before the two clash. “The new family on the Ridge is trouble, that’s all I’ll say,” Skelton reckons. Balfe agrees, and while the Christie’s arrival leads to conflict, she believes the family is a welcome addition to the Ridge.
“Mark Lewis Jones is incredible as Tom Christie and Jessica Reynolds is incredible as Malva. Of course, it changes a lot of things for Claire and Jamie, so that’s the thing I’m most excited for fans to see.”
We’ve seen chaos on Outlander before, but we’ve never seen Claire’s daughter Bree (Skelton) and her husband Roger (Rankin) feel at home in the 18th century. Season five ended with the newlyweds choosing to stay in 1771 instead of returning to the future, and this season we’ll see the positive impact of their decision.
“They’ve been in danger or arguing with each other since season two,” Rankin says. He reckons Roger’s no longer the naive historian who came through the stones with his beanie and notepad to record what life was like in the 1700s, and this season, Bree and Roger will finally be a team. “They’ve always been a very interesting couple to play, and I love Roger and Bree, but it’s nice to see them in support and agreement, for the most part.”
Skelton agrees. She thinks Bree has always carried a lot of inner turmoil with her – from struggling with her identity to adjusting to living in another time – and we’re about to see her display a new found confidence. “Bree’s letting herself be happy and finding her feet in this time. She’s really coming into her own, and that was an exciting thing to play.”
As clued-up time travellers, Claire, Bree and Roger know the American Revolutionary War is looming and that life in colonial North Carolina is about to get messy. Season six deals with themes of faith and family, and while we won’t see more of Roger playing his guitar (“there’s a time and a place for it and I’m not sure season six is it, there’s so much going on”), life on Fraser’s Ridge will continue to be a challenge.
It’s these challenges that keep Balfe inspired to play Claire, a role she considers “a gift”. “She’s somebody who is incredibly outspoken, incredibly strong willed, she fights for justice but she has her flaws too. She’s stubborn and hot headed and has her vulnerabilities, and to be able to encompass all aspects of a woman like that, it’s really a joy.”
It’s also a gift that Outlander continues to centre the adventures of a clever, accomplished woman in her fifties, an age when women often become invisible in society. Balfe says she’s recently noticed a change in television, with shows like Hacks and Mare of Eastown telling stories about complex older women who refuse to disappear from society simply because they’ve reached a certain age.
“I think what Diana [Gabaldon, author of the Outlander book series] created is such an incredible role in an incredible world. There’s a reason so many people adore these books, and it’s because she created this role model who refuses to back down,” she says. Six seasons on, Claire Fraser remains the beating heart of Outlander. “Many women were taught to be apologetic and not take up space and that’s exactly what Claire does, she takes up a lot of space, and it’s really beautiful to see. I think it’s inspiring for so many people.”
Season six of Outlander is on Neon in New Zealand from 7 March. The first five seasons are also available on Neon.