‘Outlander’ team reveal first look at Season 6 and if Covid has affected scripts

New episodes of Outlander finally started filming last month in Scotland.

Based on the sixth book in Diana Gabaldon’s series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the sixth season of Starz’s historical fantasy romance series began production in January following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The official Starz account on YouTube has now posted a video featuring a glimpse at Season 6’s new sets, props, and costumes!

 

Speaking to Elle magazine, executive producer Matthew B. Roberts has spoken about how they had to shut down last spring: “We wanted to keep our momentum from Season 5. The cast and the crew, and I think even the fans, were very excited to get right into Season 6. And then we decided to hit the brakes.”

He explained: “It was really heartbreaking in a lot of ways. Understandably, the health of the world was way more important than a television show. We knew that too.”

Roberts continued: “I don’t know how to write “Covid-friendly scenes,” certainly not an Outlander scene, because we are going to have people next to each other, being emotional—you talk close to people, and that’s where it transfers COVID. We had to figure out, how do we keep Outlander, Outlander?”

The show’s bosses have apparently spent over £150,000 on building a private testing centre at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld so that cast and crew members can be regularly tested for Covid-19.

However, Roberts has insisted that viewers won’t notice all the safety measures on screen: “I didn’t want me or the staff changing what the story is for Covid. We have a lot of intimate scenes—that’s where we live and breathe…

“We had to figure out how to make sure we tested everybody a million times before they walked onto set and keep that bubble as safe as possible. That was our main focus—making sure everybody feels safe walking onto a set in the studios and locations.”

The first official photo from the filming of Season 6 has also been released and you can take a look here:

Season 6 is expected to premiere towards the end of this year or in early 2022.

Outlander star Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, commented: “We’re BACK!! Feel very fortunate to be working right now, production are ensuring everyone is safe and protected. Now just need to deal with the snow….”

Heughan’s new travel documentary series, Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham, begins on Starz this weekend.

In the meantime, fans can keep busy with the official Outlander Knitting book, featuring 20 knits inspired by the TV series.

Outlander is available to watch free with a 7-day trial of Starz on Amazon Prime Video.