SCOTTISH actor Sam Heughan spoke to BBC Radio 2 ahead of the Outlander premiere – with season six set to make its debut return on March 6.
As the fan-dubbed “droughtlander” is almost over, Outlander-lovers across the globe will be able to tune in to a livestream of the show's premiere, taking place on Thursday night at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
“It’s been a long time coming, an extended droughtlander,” Heughan told Zoe Ball. “I’m so excited. I love all the build-up to the actual premiere date.”
“The gang will all be there. There’ll be some whisky I’m sure, all the fans will be there. We can’t wait, it’s been such a long gap between the seasons.”
Glasgow Film Festival is screening the first episode of the sixth season days before its the official release, on March 3, at 5.45pm, with rumours that Sam Heughan will actually be in attendance.
Tickets are free and only available from the Box Office on the day of the screening.
Heughan has just arrived back from New Zealand, after shooting the second season of Men In Kilts with co-star and friend Graham McTavish.
The two explored the food, drink, and heritage of the country, alongside participating in extreme sports – which Heughan says he’s not sure McTavish has quite recovered from.
READ MORE: Outlander season six - Exclusive season preview held at Glasgow Film Festival
Heughan told Ball he’d flown back into Scotland during Storm Eunice, calling the experience “very exciting” – although he’s still waiting for his bags to arrive, and says he’s been living mainly in his pyjamas.
Ball asked Heughan what the new season of Outlander looked like for Jamie and Claire: “It’s not good. We pick up after the end of season five, where so much happened."
“Claire is recovering from the trauma of being assaulted. And Jamie's trying to deal with the War of Independence, which is fast approaching – he knows it’s coming and he’s trying to be on the right side, but he’s got divided loyalties.
“Then we’ve got this new character in the form of Tom Christie, with his family arriving with him. Tom is basically Jamie’s old adversary. It’s, dare I say it, maybe the end of Fraser's Ridge.”
Ball went on to ask Heughan about the Outlander costumes: “I imagine they’re made of hessian, though they’re probably slightly more comfortable. What’s it like to play out those tough scenes in them?”
“A lot of the costumes are pretty authentic actually. I have to say I’m pretty lucky because I don’t have to wear a corset. Well, one day I might have to, when it’s all gone south...”
“The women on our show have to wear these corsets – I don’t know how they do it during those tough scenes. And this season, it goes to some pretty dark places really quickly.”
The Outlander cast will take to the red carpet in London on Thursday (set to be livestreamed on the Outlander Facebook page) before a screening of the first episode of season six to a select audience including fans, with a panel with the cast and producers held afterwards.
The first episode of the new series, called "Echoes", will be available to stream in the UK on Amazon Prime Video via StarzPlay on Sunday, March 6, with a new episode released every week.
Watch the trailer for season six on YouTube.
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