Outlander: Blood of My Blood star says Caitríona Balfe has been an "unbelievable support" with series

Ned Gowan is of course a figure that many Outlander fans will be familiar with, with the character having been portrayed in the original series by Bill Paterson.

When asked whether he received any tips from the original Outlander cast after taking on the Blood of My Blood role and whether he's met Patterson himself, Gowan told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "Do you know what? I never have met Bill and I would absolutely love to.

"I don’t even know how I’d go about doing that! I’ve never even asked, it’s pretty mad."

He continued: "But of course, Outlander season 8 part 2 was being shot while we were shooting season 1, so we were all in the same studios. So, we were around each other a lot and Caitríona has been an unbelievable support.

"When I first got the job, I rang her and spoke to her and she gave great advice. I mean, they all love it so much – that's why they're there for season 8 still, right? They all really enjoy doing the show and I think that's testament enough. You can just see that and know this is going to be a fun ride. They’ve been brilliant.

"We’ve hung out with them all a lot and we did a brilliant day of press all together, which felt like a real handing over of the baton, where we all sat and spoke about both shows collectively, which was a really lovely experience."

MacNeill starred alongside Balfe in 2021's Belfast and the former co-stars have now also been able to share in the unique experience of being part of the Outlander universe.

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MacNeill's Gowan works for the MacKenzie clan, one of the main families that we follow in the 18th century Scottish timeline. With the death of Peter Mullan's Red Jacob, everything is thrown into the air as it pertains to who will become Laird of the family and take control.

But with an ongoing battle for power rearing its head within the family, it's also up to Gowan to make sure that the MacKenzie siblings don't allow their problems to bubble over too much.

Known for his starring roles in Industry and The Tourist, MacNeill described stepping into the world of Outlander as "kind of crazy", saying of his familiarity with the universe: "I think when I first got the job I was aware of Outlander, but I hadn't watched a lot of it. So then I kind of did a massive deep dive and realised the expansive universe and how beloved it is."

He went on: "It's such a loved show. And especially with these characters that we're playing – a lot of us are playing characters who the fans are absolutely obsessed with. So, there was an element of, I hope we do it well, but it was also really nice to have Outlander as a benchmark, just as an actor, to go, ‘I know where this character ends up, I know the destination.’"

The new spin-off series focuses on Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire's (Balfe) parents, with the cast led by Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood releases episodes weekly every Saturday on MGM+ in the UK and on Fridays on Starz in the US. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books on Amazon.

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