Time-travel fans and historical drama buffs alike will be pleased to know that their favourite timeline-bending show is set to return with a cast of familiar faces.

Outlander, now approaching its seventh season, is back with a wave of returning cast members and newcomers alike. It’s been announced that Graham McTavish (House Of The Dragon, The Hobbit), Nell Hudson and Steven Cree will be coming back to our screens as Dougal MacKenzie, Laoghaire Fraser and Ian Murray, while Lotte Verbeek reprising her role as Geillis Duncan.

New characters for season seven include Gloria Obianyo, Rod Hallett and Diarmaid Murtagh. Obianyo will play Mercy Woodcock, a free Black woman navigating the hardships of life in Colonial America; Hallett will take on the role of the notorious real-life revolutionary soldier Benedict Arnold; and Murtagh joins as Buck MacKenzie, who is Dougal and Geillis’ illegitimate son.

A new cast member who will be very familiar to Bridgerton fans is Chris Fulton, who played Philip Crane in the hit Netflix show. Fulton will be joining the cast as Rob Cameron, an acquaintance of Roger and Brianna.

It’s also been announced that the role of Jenny Murray, previously played by Laura Donnelly, will now be replaced by Kristin Atherton, who Waterloo Road fans might recognise as Vix Spark.

Also set to return in the new season are series regulars Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin. 

Although the immense inventory of characters and stories might seem tricky to juggle, the show’s premise allows for it.

“One of the many joys of our epic story is the element of time travel, which allows us to revisit some of our favourite characters in different times and places, and we’re thrilled to welcome back so many familiar faces for season seven,” said showrunner Matthew B Roberts in a statement.

It’s not just the cast that’s set to be bigger and bolder. Executive producer Maril Davis teases the scale of the upcoming season in an interview with EW:

“[Season 7 is the] biggest season yet. We have so many storylines. So many different places. The trajectory – we cover so much terrain. I really feel sorry for our production designer, art department, costume designer and her team. It’s such a huge season. We almost can’t wrap our arms around it. It’s not only the extra four episodes, it’s just, the revolution is here. It’s going to be really exciting.”

The Revolutionary War seems to be a starring event in the new season, with the introduction of a grown-up William Ransom (played by Charles Vandervaart) as an officer in the British Army. The rest of season seven will be based on An Echo In The Bone, the seventh instalment in Diana Gabaldon’s book series and, if it stays close to the novel, it will follow Jamie and Claire Fraser through the American Revolution.

Filming began back in April this year, confirmed by the official Outlander Twitter account, which shared a picture of some of the stars.

One thing we’re unlikely to see, however, is Caitríona Balfe in the director’s chair.

“It’s something I’ve been talking about doing on the show. It’s falling a little on deaf ears,” she said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “It would’ve been the perfect chance for me in a very safe space,” she continued. “I’m so close with all of our camera crew, and they were always having conversations about what lens they’re using and what frame it is and they’re really always super helpful in giving me as much information as I want. It’s a shame, but out of my hands.”

In terms of a release date for the new season, it’s still early days; fans may need to wait until 2023 before they’re able to catch an official glimpse of what’s in store. 

Still, there’s no time like the present for a series binge to keep you going until then.

Previous seasons of Outlander are available to stream on Starz and on Amazon Prime in the UK.

Images: Starz