Outlander's Caitríona Balfe warns fans of "a lot of peril" in season 7

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of the new season, Balfe, who plays beloved nurse Claire Fraser, said that it was a long season this time around, with the filming schedule totalling up to almost 12 months.

She said: "It was such an epic season. And there's just so much that happens this year. But yeah, well hopefully, I think the fans will be happy."

On whether there were any scenes that surprised her this time round, Balfe revealed: "There’s quite a lot... This season was really interesting because there are multiple storylines that we follow, instead of it just being, you know... season one was purely through Claire's perspective. Season two, sort of Claire and Jamie's, and then we've slowly opened it up over the years.

"But this, I feel like this is the most expansive the show has been."

She continued: "So, in that way, it's always interesting for me to watch other people's storylines, stuff that I'm not involved in. There's some real juicy bits that happen this year."

But the leading actress also teased, "There’s a lot of peril this season and a lot of things happen," before also stating, "There’s a lot of loss and things are unsettled. It’s just very epic, this season."

As for who we may lose along the way or what things may become unsettled, we'll have to wait and see.

From the looks of recently-released first-look clips and images, things look hopeful for Outlander leads Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Balfe). But if the fantasy series is known for one thing, it's providing viewers with the unexpected.

Read more:

• Outlander teases good news for Jamie and Claire in tender moment
• Outlander stars tease season 7 as Sam Heughan promises "best yet"

We do know that the American Revolution is the season's backdrop and it'll see Jamie and Claire get caught up in the conflict, but how things will end up for the fan-favourite pair is unknown.

Yet season 7 is the penultimate season before Outlander wraps for good with its final eighth season, which is yet to have a confirmed release date.

The upcoming seventh season is inspired by An Echo in the Bone, the seventh book in the novel series by Diana Gabaldon.

According to the official series synopsis: "Following the harrowing events of season six, Jamie and Young Ian race to rescue Claire before she’s tried and wrongfully convicted for the murder of Malva Christie, but their mission is complicated by the beginning of a geopolitical firestorm: The American Revolution has arrived.

"In the seventh season of Outlander, Jamie, Claire and their family are caught in the violent birth pains of an emerging nation as armies march to war and British institutions crumble in the face of armed rebellion.

"The land the Frasers call home is changing – and they must change with it. In order to protect what they’ve built, the Frasers have to navigate the perils of the Revolutionary War. They learn that sometimes to defend what you love, you have to leave it behind.

"As the conflict draws them out of North Carolina and into the heart of this fight for independence, Jamie, Claire, Brianna and Roger are faced with impossible decisions that have the potential to tear their family apart."

Outlander season 7 premieres Friday 16th June on Lionsgate+ – sign up for a 7-day free trial, £5.99 a month after trial. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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