On December 21st, 1988, the small town of Lockerbie in Scotland was rocked by a plane explosion that claimed the lives of 270 people.

258 were those on board Pan Am Flight 103 – all the passengers and crew members – as well as 11 people on the ground of the town, where the wreckage of the plane had hit a petrol station resulting in a second explosion, and caused house fires and holes in the road.

Pan Am Flight 103, travelling from London Heathrow to New York City, had been targeted by terrorists, with bombs going off on board just 38 minutes into the flight.

Now, the name of this small village is synonymous with one of the biggest terrorist attacks in history, with a 35-year manhunt and investigation into what happened still ongoing today.

In a new five-part series, titled Lockerbie, Colin Firth leads the cast as Dr. Jim Swire, the real-life man who became the spokesperson for the victims’ families.

Exploring events from the disaster and its aftermath, Lockerbie provides an intimate account of a man, a husband, and a father who risks everything in memory of his daughter and the unflinching pursuit of truth and justice.

Here are the key characters in the series, and who will be playing them.

Played by: Colin Firth (Bridget Jones’ Diary, A Single Man, The King’s Speech)

Jim Swire, born Herbert Swire, is a doctor and family man who becomes a central spokesperson for the victims’ families following the explosion of Flight 103. His daughter, Flora, was killed in the explosion.

In the years and investigations that followed, Swire would go to extreme lengths to show the lack of airport security, and would later advocate for justice and “common humanity” in the trials of Abdulbaset al-Megrahi.

He also begins to voice his doubts that the right man was caught for the attack, with his relentless pursuit coming at a cost to his family.

Colin Firth CBE is an Oscar-winning British actor, who rose to fame during the 1980s as part of what became known as the “Brit Pack”.

His work includes the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and has since appeared in dozens of well-beloved films including Bridget Jones’s Diary, A Single Man, The Railway Man, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

In 2010, he won Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of King George in The King’s Speech.

He returned to TV in 2022 for the dramatization of The Staircase, playing Michael Peterson, a novelist accused of murdering his wife when she was found dead at the bottom of their staircase.

The Staircase is available on Sky Atlantic, and more information can be found here.

Played by: Catherine McCormack (Braveheart, Temple, Slow Horses)

The wife of Jim Swire and mother to Flora, Jane joined her husband in the fight for justice and answers in the 35-year investigation that unfolded after the Lockerbie bombing.

“People took planes like we used to take buses when I was a child,” Jane says in the documentary. “So we never saw any danger in Flora going to America.”

According to Jim in Sky’s Lockerbie documentary, Jane knew immediately that her daughter was on the plane when hearing about the explosion on the news.

Catherine McCormack is a British actress, who first broke through by playing Murron MacClannough in the 1995 Mel Gibson-fronted film, Braveheart.

She has since appeared in 28 Weeks Later, Spy Game, Lights Out, Temple, and Slow Horses.

Played by: Sam Troughton (Alien vs Predator, Litvinenko, Vera Drake)

Sam Troughton is an English actor, and part of an acting dynasty – his father is actor David Troughton, who starred in BBC’s New Tricks, his brother is The Archers star William Troughton, and his grandfather is Patrick Troughton – the second star to take on the role of Doctor Who.

He is a Shakespearian actor, who worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has appeared in Sky Original series Hex, as well as Alien Vs Predator, Vera Drake, The Lazarus Project, Litvinenko, and The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Played by: Mark Bonnar (Operation Mincemeat, Catastrophe)

Mark Bonnar is a Scottish actor, whose first roles were one-off parts in esteemed crime dramas including Taggart, Rebus, and Wire In The Blood.

His first major casting was as Bruno Jenkins in Holby City, appearing on the show from 2005 to 2006.

In 2017, he won a Scottish BAFTA for his role of Colin Osbourne in Unforgotten, and also won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for his role of Gary Carmichael in Apple Tree Yard.

He has appeared on TV series including Shetland, Guilt, The Rig, Litvinenko, and Operation Mincemeat.

Played by: Ardalan Esmaili (Grey Zone, Deliver Me)

Abdulbaset al-Megrahi was one of two men named as perpetrators of the Lockerbie bombing.

A Libyan national suspected of being an intelligence agent, his arrest and call for a trial became an international situation which the United Nations even played a role in.

Eventually found guilty at trial, al-Megrahi consistently protested his innocence, and would spend the rest of his life trying to clear his name.

Played by: Mudar Abbara (The Swimmers, In Another Life)

Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah is the second man initially named as one of the terrorists behind the Lockerbie bombing.

Like al-Megrahi, he was arrested, and eventually tried in a specially made court on Camp Zeist in Sweden under Scottish law.

Believed to be an intelligence agent for Libya, he was later cleared of all charges and allowed to return home.

Played by: Guy Henry (Holby City, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

Paul Channon was a former MP who, at the time of the Lockerbie bombing, was Secretary of State for Transport for the Conservative government in power.

He was later publicly scolded in the House Of Commons by Labour MP John Prescott for choosing to go on holiday with his family shortly after the attack took place.

In July 1989, he was sacked from his position in the government. In the years that followed, he was accused of being the leak to the press about the impending arrest.

Played by: Nabil Al Raee (The Teacher, 200 Meters)

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi was a Libyan politician and revolutionary, who ruled over Libya from 1969.

He was, and remains, a divisive figure in world history, with imposed military training in school, and believed the Western world was exploiting Libya for its oil.

At the time of the attack, the country had become known for sponsoring international terrorist groups, with an ongoing conflict between Gaddafi and US President Ronald Reagan.

The country became more isolated from the world in the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

His refusal to hand over the suspects resulted in the country being cut off from arms trading and air travel to and from the country at one point in the aftermath.

Upon al-Megrahi’s release in 2009, he sent his personal jet to collect him.

He was assassinated in 2011 by rebels during an uprising in the country.

Played by: Jemma Carlton (Maxine, A Thousand Blows)

Cathy is Flora’s younger sister, and the last member of their family to see her alive.

She dropped her sister off at Heathrow airport, waving her off as she boarded the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 103. Cathy was still en route home when the plane exploded.

Cathy has since said that her father’s fervent quest for justice had an immeasurable impact on her family, leaving her unable to grieve privately, or talk to her family about how she felt.

In March this year, Cathy released a literary memoir titled Flame, Ash, Feather: 12 Eggs from Lockerbie, which detailed her personal feelings and experience in the spotlight in the wake of the attacks.

Played by: Harry Redding (Red Rose)

William was the youngest member of the Swire family, Flora’s little brother.

He has supported his father’s mission for justice, appearing alongside him at anniversary events, albeit playing a less distinctive role.

Played by: Newcomer Rosanna Adams

Flora Swire was about to turn 24 when she boarded Pan Am Flight 103, heading to New York in order to spend Christmas with her boyfriend.

She, alongside the other 258 people on board, lost their lives in the explosion over Lockerbie in Scotland, in what was at the time the biggest terrorist attack against the United States people.