The BBC & Netflix Release Images from Rechristened 'Lockerbie' Series

Not that round numbers are more meaningful milestones than prime numbers, but it speaks to how many projects have been delayed (and for how long) that in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Five, two docudramas are reviving the story of Pan Am 103, based on the famous 1988 terrorist bombing. Not that I expect anyone to do math in their heads, but 2025-1988 is 37 years, a somewhat random anniversary for multiple projects to have targeted. This accident of timing is not due to suddenly deciding that 37 is important but a result of the pandemic and strikes, which delayed one project for so long that the other chose to step up, and then both raced to be first to release their series.

Amusingly, both series were originally entitled Lockerbie, but because there suddenly were two, both altered their names. The Sky-Peacock five-part series was the original project that went dormant; upon learning the BBC and Netflix were stepping into the breach, it pulled itself together and arrived as Lockerbie: A Search for Truth in early January 2025. Now, the Netflix-BBC six-part drama has announced a new title, The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and released its first images.

The Colin Firth-starring Peacock series focused on a single family and the struggle to come to terms with what happened over the years. The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, on the other hand, is a wider-ranging period piece that follows the Scottish-US investigation into the attack, from the exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000.

Here's the series' updated synopsis:

The six-part series follows the untold story of the Scots-US investigation into the attack and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta, to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the series leads up to the upcoming new trial in the US. 

The Bombing of Pan Am 103 also highlights the human impact on the investigators, the families, and the Lockerbie community as it sought to rebuild and connect with bereaved families around the world.

Netflix and the BBC may not have Colin Firth in their limited miniseries about the Lockerbie bombing, but the sheer wealth of stars more than makes up for it. The series stars high-profile actors like Connor Swindells (Rogue Heroes), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Terence Maynard (Ridley), Cora Bissett (Annika), Nicholas Gleaves (After The Flood), Amanda Drew (The Gold), Peter Mullan (Payback), Lauren Lyle (Karen Pirie), Tony Curran (Mayflies), Kevin McKidd (Rome), Molly Geddes (Dinosaur), Eddie Marsan (Supacell), Douglas Hodge (The Great), Andrew Rothney (The Spanish Princess), James Harkness (The Sixth Commandment), and Khalid Laith (Vigil).

The cast also stars Canadian Patrick J. Adams (Orphan Black), and Americans Merritt Wever (The Gilded Age) and Parker Sawyers (World on Fire).

Novelist Jonathan Lee was the lead writer on the six-part series, with Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park also penning episodes. Director Michael Keillor (Roadkill) helmed all episodes with Julia Stannard producing. The series was conceived by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths, who conducted extensive interviews with Scottish police officers and United States investigative agencies, many of whom have never previously shared their stories; many of the families and loved ones of the victims were also interviewed. 

According to the BBC, their stories "revealed the impact the bombing had on their lives and the heroic activism that followed - resulting in a lasting change to the way authorities approached security, safety, and duty of care towards those involved in mass fatality incidents."

Lee and Keillor executive produce alongside Morane-Griffiths, Sara Curran, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media; Simon Heath & Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark & Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures; Mona Qureshi & Manda Levin for Netflix; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. 

The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 does not yet have a release date, but the BBC says one will be along "soon."