The BBC’s newest drama certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Set in 1988, it retells the story of the infamous Lockerbie bombing, in which a passenger jet exploded over the remote Scottish town of Lockerbie.
This resulted in a massive loss of life - 260 people died, including 11 on the ground – and left investigators from across the world scrambling to deduce what exactly had happened. It’s a compelling story, and one that boasts and excellent (and huge) cast of characters.
But who exactly is in it? We break things down.
D.S. Ed McCusker, played by Connor Swindells
McCusker was a Scottish police officer around the time of the Lockerbie bombings. Based in Glasgow, he found himself working on the front line of the investigations, helping to crack the case of how the attack had happened.
“Meeting Ed was great, he’s an incredibly warm, friendly man who was so generous with his home,” Swindells said about the role. “He was so generous with trying to recount as much as possible the events that occurred, lifting me up with as much support as he could.”
Swindells, who plays him, is a British actor. He’s most famous for his turn as Adam Groff in the Netflix comedy Sex Education, but recently he also took on the lead role of David Stirling in BBC drama SAS Rogue Heroes, a period drama about the founding of the SAS.
Dick Marquise, played by Patrick J. Adams
Marquise was the FBI officer in charge of the investigation into the bombings – causing friction with the Scottish police force over who was ultimately in charge.
“I knew about Lockerbie, I was seven years old when it happened and I was living in the UK at the time,” Adams said about the role. “For me, as soon as I heard there was a series being made about the events my first reaction was ‘how has this never happened before?’”
Adams himself is a Canadian-American actor. Born in Toronto in 1981, he’s best known for playing the lead role of Mike Ross in the legal drama suits (which in turn got him nominated for a SAG Award). Over the years, he’s also appeared in Pretty Little Liars (he’s married to one of its stars, Troian Bellisario), Legends of Tomorrow and A League of Their Own.
Kathryn Turman, played by Merritt Wever
Turman was a political aide who ended up becoming the assistant director FBI's Victim Services Division – essentially the person responsible for managing how the FBI interacted with the families of those affected by disasters.
“I don't think that she would consider herself a public figure, but I found so many interviews, videos and podcasts,” Wever said about her. “She very generously sent along the diary she kept at the time of the trials. It was a diary in a very professional capacity, I think she knew that it would be important to keep this documented. There really was a bevy of information to draw on.”
Wever is an American actor. She’s appeared in shows like The Walking Dead (as Dr. Denise Cloyd), Nurse Jackie (for which she won an Emmy) and, most recently, Severance, as Gretchen George.
D.C.S. John Orr, played by Peter Mullan
Orr was the person in charge of the investigation into the Lockerbie bombings: gruff, no-nonsense and fiercely territorial over what he saw as Scotland’s responsibility.
Mullan, who plays him, is also Scottish. Born in Aberdeenshire, he studied at the University of Glasgow and has appeared in films like Trainspotting, Braveheart, War Horse, Ozark, Westworld and The Lord of the Rings spinoff The Rings of Power.
Tom Thurman, played by Eddie Marsan
“He’s quite impish, he loves nothing better than to be in a laboratory solving problems. Tom is very inspired by his job, he was a bomb disposal expert for years and then became a lecturer. He finds the puzzle of it all incredibly rewarding, trying to find out who planted the bomb and working everything out.”
Marsan himself is a Londoner. Born in Stepney in 1968, he initially served an apprenticeship as a printer before pivoting to theatre. In addition to treading the boards, he’s appeared in tens of films and TV shows, including Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, Gangs of New York, The Illusionist, Vera Drake and 2021 TV show Ridley Road. Most recently, he played Mitch Winehouse in the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black.
D.C.I. Harry Bell, played by Tony Curran
Harry Bell was a detective chief inspector for the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary. He helped lead a team of investigators to Malta, following evidence around the bombings.
Curran himself comes from Scotland. Over the years, he’s also racked up a considerable credit list, appearing in Doctor Who, the second series of Netflix’s Daredevil, Disney+ miniseries Secret Invasion and the BBC series Mayflies.
Allen Feraday, played by Nicholas Gleaves
Feraday was a British scientist who worked at the Forensic Explosives Laboratory, at the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment in Kent. He was a forensic expert in the field of electronics, and helped identify the bomb used to bring down Pan Am 103.
Gleaves is a British actor, whose credits include the BBC thriller Bodyguard (he played MP Roger Penhaligon), The Crown (where he played former BBC Director General John Birt) and ITV drama After the Flood, in which he played police officer Phil Mackie.
June McCusker, played by Lauren Lyle
June is Ed’s wife – a former police officer, who gave up her job to raise their two children.
Lyle, who plays her, was born in Glasgow. Initially, she pursued a career in the Scottish Conservatives before pivoting to acting; her credits include playing Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in the drama series Outlander, and Karen Pirie in the ITV thriller of the same name.
Moira Shearer, played by Phyllis Logan
Moira is one of the women of Lockerbie, who ends up playing a part in the police investigation. “The women took the belongings of the victims and cleaned them up as best they could before repatriating the items to families and loved ones of the victims,” she explained. “It was a really heartwarming thing for them to do, I think they saw it as their duty actually and I was intrigued by that part of the story.”
Shearer was born in Paisley and has racked up roles in shows like Downton Abbey (as Mrs Hughes), Secrets and Lies, Lovejoy (as Lady Jane Felsham) and the 1983 film Another Time, Another Place, for which she won the BAFTA Award for most promising newcomer.
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 9pm, Sunday 18 May
