Outlander author Diana Gabaldon revealed the real inspiration behind her best-selling book and television series at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today (Tuesday 23 August).
The American writer was in attendance at the literary festival on Tuesday to take part in a talk titled, 'The Outlander Phenomenon' - an event all about the Outlander universe. She was discussing all things Jamie Fraser, played by Scottish star Sam Heughan, Claire Fraser and 18th century Scotland when Diana revealed a new secret about where the series actually stemmed from.
While being asked about the origins of the story, Diana discussed her journey towards our nation when deciding the location of her novels. Diana said: "I was considering the American civil war, and other dramatic historical eras, when I stumbled across a rerun of a Doctor Who episode.
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"I was watching the episode with the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, when a rather dashing Scottish man in a kilt turns up in the episode, time-travelled from 1745. And I thought, he looks rather fetching!
"When I was still thinking about this man in a kilt the next day - in church - I realised I had to base my book in 18th century Scotland, while knowing nothing about the history of the nation in that time.
"So, with no plot, no characters, Scotland was the starting point for me."
Who would have thought that a Doctor Who episode featuring Scottish companion James Robert McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) was the basis for one of the best-selling book and television series of all time?
You can re watch Diana's appearance at Edinburgh's International Book Festival on the website here, with options to make a donation as well.
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