Outlander bosses reveal why Lord John Grey books weren't chosen for first spin-off

However, showrunner and executive producer Maril Davis has stated that the Lord John Grey series is something they still want to do, but tackling it is as the first further Outlander spin-off didn't make sense for them at the time.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press at a set visit for Outlander: Blood of My Blood last year, Davis and writer Matthew B Roberts were asked why they'd made the decision to focus on Blood of My Blood rather than a spin-off based on the books, like Lord John Grey.

Davis said: We’d still like to do Lord John, so that is still a possibility, it just wasn’t the right time. [Blood of My Blood] seemed like a natural extension. To tell another great love story with Jamie and Claire’s parents and to have both parallel love stories was too amazing to pass up.”

While the original series of Outlander is very much centred around Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe), they have encountered plenty of recurring characters across the seasons, with Lord John Grey being one of them.

Last year, actor David Berry – who plays Grey – spoke out about why a spin-off series centred around his character hadn't yet materialised, despite Gabaldon having written an entire set of novels and novellas delving deeper into the character of Lord John.

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In an interview with Deadline, Berry said: "I haven’t spoken about this. But I think that since the series is over, I feel a bit more comfortable talking about it. There was a time in season 4 when we were going to shoot our Lord John series.

"It had been written – well, there was a writer attached – and I'd signed a contract to do a series. It went down to the wire of whether or not it would get approved by the network, but ultimately, at the time, it was decided that that wasn’t the right fit, or wasn’t the right thing for them."

He added: "I was prepared to do it, and I’m still prepared to do it... Matt [B Roberts] and Maril [Davis], executive producers on Outlander, have also expressed a lot of interest in doing it.

"So I guess it really depends on finding a network for it and audience interest in moving forward and doing a spin-off. But definitely, it was something that was on the cards at one point. The fact that it didn’t go ahead was very disappointing at the time.

"But whether or not it will go ahead again, that’s really in the hands of the audiences, and whether or not there is still an interest in seeing more from this character."
Well, it certainly seems as though Davis is exploring the "possibility" of a Lord John spin-off, as she states, but as for if and when that will come to fruition, we'll just have to wait and see.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood will premiere on Saturday 9th August in the UK on MGM+ in the UK. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books on Amazon.

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