What To Expect From Lockerbie: A Search For Truth

It’s the deadliest terrorist attack in British history, and now the Lockerbie bombing is the subject of a new five episode miniseries, co-produced by Sky, Peacock and Carnival Films. Led by Colin Firth and delving into one bereaved father’s campaign for justice – and the truth – here’s what you need to know about the tragic true story behind Lockerbie: A Search For Truth.

Colin Firth as Jim Swire in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth. (Sky)

The True Story Behind Lockerbie: A Search For Truth

On 21 December 1988, a regular Pan Am Flight 103 took off from Frankfurt en route to Detroit, with scheduled stops in London and New York – though it would never make it that far. Just after 7pm as the plane – a Boeing 747-121 named Clipper Maid of the Seas – cruised at an altitude of 31,000 ft over Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, 38 minutes into its journey, a bomb erupted, concealed in a suitcase in the hold. The explosion caused the plane to disintegrate mid-air, with debris scattered over 845 square miles but mainly concentrated over the small town of Lockerbie. Residential areas were destroyed, and all 259 people aboard, passengers and crew, were killed: 189 Americans, plus passengers from 21 countries. As the wreckage descended on Scotland, 11 Lockerbie locals were also killed as the wreckage pummeled their homes.

It’s the deadliest terror attack in the UK’s history, and what ensued was one of the largest and complex investigations and criminal and aviation history. It wasn’t until 1991 that two perpetrators were arrested: Libyan nationals Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, who were eventually convicted in 2001. Though they never revealed their motives, it is thought the bombing was retaliation for the 1986 US bombing of Libya – which itself was a response to Libyan state sponsored terrorism, including a Berlin bombing that killed US servicemen. In this interim – and afterwards – the families of the Lockerbie bombing’s victims campaigned for justice and transparency, and this is the subject of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth. 

‘This is a story I’ve been very familiar with all my life,’ shares executive producer Gareth Neame. ‘I remember on that night, 21 December 1988, putting on the midnight news on Radio Four. I was going to bed and I heard that the plane had just gone down earlier that night. It was clearly a massive disaster, the biggest act of terrorism ever committed in the UK with enormous global ramifications. The majority of the victims were American, but there were many, many of different nationalities.’

Who Is Dr Jim Swire?

Lockerbie centres on Dr Jim Swire, a real British physician (played by Colin Firth) whose 23-year-old daughter Flora Swire was killed in the attack; he becomes the spokesperson for the UK victims’ families, who unite to demand truth. Embarking on a relentless journey in the name of his daughter, Jim crosses continents and political divides, jeopardising his stability, family and life, and overturning his trust in the justice system. Critical of the lack of security enforced in the wake of the disaster, in 1990, Jim even carried a fake bomb onto an aeroplane to prove security had not improved in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing. When the two Libyan nationals were convicted in 2001, Jim did not agree with the decision regarding Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and campaigned for a more thorough investigation, questioning whether other parties or nations were involved in the tragedy, and whether key evidence was mishandled. As both the US and UK governments kept details under wraps, Jim criticised their lack of transparency and accused both of politicising the case.

‘I had followed from afar and followed Jim Swire’s story as he was frequently on television,’ Neame continues. ‘I was aware of this British general practitioner who’d never really asked to be involved in anything like this. If you think about it, the last thing Jim Swire ever wanted to happen was to have to devote his life to finding out who was responsible for his daughter’s death. But it nonetheless is what he has done over the years, in the decades since that event.’

Colin Firth as Jim Swire in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth. (Sky)

Where Is Dr Jim Swire Now?

Now 89 years old, Dr Jim Swire continues to lobby the government 36 years after his daughter was killed in the UK’s deadliest terror attack. Most recently, Swire has been urging prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to publish everything the UK government knows about the Pan-Am atrocity, saying officials can no longer justify concealing information on the case. In fact, while Swire was delighted with Firth’s casting in Lockerbie – Swire describes Firth as ‘extremely friendly‘ and ‘a lovely guy’ who he is ‘very taken’ with – the former GP’s mind is always on the case. He describes Sky’s Lockerbie not just as ‘an accurate representation’ of his search for the truth, but ‘publicity beyond value’ for his cause.

Is Lockerbie Based On A Book?

Yes, Lockerbie: A Search For Truth is based on The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice, which Jim Swire co-authored with Peter Biddulph, published in 2021.

Catherine McCormack as Jane Swire in Lockerbie: A Search for Truth. (Sky)

The Cast

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

‘Colin was probably the first person that we thought of for this role,’ shares Neame. ‘There’s something terribly decent about the way Colin comes across, very much like Jim Swire. Jim’s a very interesting protagonist, in that he’s quite heroic in the story, but he starts off as a middle-aged general practitioner in the Midlands who is forced to take his life in the direction he does. He’s a local GP; he’s a pillar of his local community. Jim is this establishment figure who becomes somebody who will take on what he believes to be a huge miscarriage of justice. Lockerbie is both a character study and an emotional character journey; two areas in which a brilliant actor like Colin truly delivers. He navigates the worst possible bereavement you can imagine with great sensitivity.’

Release Date

All five episodes of Lockerbie: A Search For Truth are available to stream on Now.