Outlander star speaks out on Lord John Grey spin-off – revealing it was written and scrapped

One of the numerous figures they meet across an epic life is Lord John (Berry), who first crosses their path as a teenager, before doing so again as an adult – and eventually forming an unlikely friendship with Jamie.

Outlander fans will be aware that author Diana Gabaldon has written an entire set of novels and novellas delving deeper into the character of Lord John, with talk of a spin-off gaining momentum before stalling abruptly around six years ago.

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."

Keeping hope alive for more stories, 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."

Outlander is about to premiere the long-awaited second half of season 7, with an eighth season also on the way that will bring the smash-hit series to a close.

Outlander is available to stream on MGM+.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.