Lockerbie: A Search for Truth

This article is about the Sky Atlantic drama series. For the disaster, see Pan Am Flight 103. For the legal case, see Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial. For the BBC television drama series, see Lockerbie (TV serial).

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Genre	Biographical drama
Created by	David Harrower
Based on	The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father's Search for Justice by Jim Swire Peter Biddulph
Written by	David Harrower
Directed by	Otto Bathurst Jim Loach
Starring	Colin Firth
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producers	Nigel Marchant Gareth Neame David Harrower Liz Trubridge Jim Sheridan Kirsten Sheridan Oskar Slingerland
Producers	Colin Wratten Brian Kaczynski
Production companies	Universal Content Productions Carnival Films Sky Studios
Original release
Network	Sky Atlantic (United Kingdom) Peacock (United States)
Release	2 January 2025 (2025-01-02)

Lockerbie: A Search For Truth is a British drama limited television series directed by Otto Bathurst and Jim Loach, based on the 2021 book The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father's Search for Justice by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph. It stars Colin Firth as Swire, who embarks on a quest for justice after his daughter, Flora, dies on Pan Am Flight 103. It premiered on 2 January 2025 on Sky Atlantic and Now in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and on Peacock in the United States.

Premise

In December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, a transatlantic flight from London to New York City, was destroyed by a bomb 38 minutes after take-off while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members. Parts of the aircraft crashed into a residential area, killing an additional 11 people. The series will follow the true life story of Jim Swire (Firth) and his wife Jane in their quest for justice for the victims, who included their daughter Flora.

Cast

• Colin Firth as Jim Swire
• Catherine McCormack as Jane Swire
• Sam Troughton as Murray Guthrie
• Mark Bonnar as Roderick McGill
• Ardalan Esmaili as Abdelbaset al-Megrahi
• Mudar Abbara as Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah
• Guy Henry as Paul Channon
• Nabil Al Raee as Colonel Gaddafi
• Jemma Carlton as Cathy Swire
• Harry Redding as William Swire
• Rosanna Adams as Flora Swire

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Episode 1"	Otto Bathurst	David Harrower	January 2, 2025 (2025-01-02)
Flora Swire, daughter to Jim Swire, boards Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21st, 1988. The flight crashes over Lockerbie, killing all passengers and crew on board as well as 11 residents on the ground. The Swire family journey to Lockerbie, where a journalist reveals to Jim personally that a warning had been given to the FAA sixteen days prior to the attack but was ignored due to it being perceived a hoax. A pressure group is formed with Jim as its representative to force the UK government to launch its own independent enquiry into the attack and as to why the government did not act in regards to the warnings received. The Prime Minister later announces that an independent enquiry will not take place. Jim promises that he will himself take up an investigation on his own merit, the closing scene showing Jim asking a prisoner in custody if he had killed his daughter.
2	"Episode 2"	Otto Bathurst	David Harrower	January 2, 2025 (2025-01-02)
Jim Swire continues his campaign for truth and justice, two suspects – Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah – are indicted for the bombing, believed to be Libyan Intelligence Agents.
3	"Episode 3"	Jim Loach	David Harrower	January 2, 2025 (2025-01-02)
Jumping forward to 2000 and the Lockerbie trial finally begins after 12 years in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Jim questions the evidence against the two suspects.
4	"Episode 4"	Otto Bathurst	David Harrower	January 2, 2025 (2025-01-02)
Convinced they have the wrong man, Jim grows closer to the convicted Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
5	"Episode 5"	Otto Bathurst	David Harrower	January 2, 2025 (2025-01-02)

Production

The series is a co-production between Sky Studios, Peacock and Carnival Films. The development of the series was first reported in February 2022.

Executive producers include Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant for Carnival Films, Sam Hoyle for Sky Studios and David Harrower, Liz Trubridge, Jim Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan and Oskar Slingerland. Maryam Hamidi is an associate producer and Brian Kaczynski is a producer. It is based on Dr Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph's book The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father's Search for Justice. The book has been adapted by David Harrower. Directors include Otto Bathurst and Jim Loach.

Colin Firth was reported to be cast in January 2024 as Dr Jim Swire, who lost his daughter in the 1988 flight disaster in which 259 passengers and crew members were killed.

Filming took place in Scotland in February 2024, in the Friars Brae area of Linlithgow.

Release

The five-part series premiered on 2 January 2025. It will be broadcast on Sky Television and streaming service Now TV in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Peacock in the United States.

Reception

The series holds a 68% "Fresh" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews with an average rating of 6.9/10. In a positive review, Nick Curtis of the London Standard wrote, "This is a thoroughly decent, even honourable attempt to remind us what the Lockerbie atrocity was, and why it matters that it remains unresolved." Conversely, Alison Rowat of The Herald wrote, "In leaving many questions unanswered the makers could be hoping that interest will be rekindled. Yet the opposite might be true. Viewers, stunned by the case’s complexities as set out here, might conclude the truth will never fully emerge."

External links

• Lockerbie: A Search for Truth at IMDb