Drama to chart the Lockerbie disaster

World Productions are to make Lockerbie, a factual drama based on the real events surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the joint Scots-US investigation which sought to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Simon Heath, CEO, World Productions:

“We feel honoured to be given the responsibility of bringing such an extraordinary and epoch defining story to the screen, via Jonathan and Gillian’s brilliant scripts.”

On 21 December 1988, flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans. It was the worst ever terror attack on British soil and the first major one on US citizens.

The lead writer is novelist and screenwriter Jonathan Lee, with two episodes written by Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park. The hour-long episodes entitled Lockerbie will air on BBC One and iPlayer followed by Netflix in the UK and globally. The six-part series was initially developed by MGM Television and Night Train Media.

Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022.

The project was initiated by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths whose research includes extensive interviews with Scottish police officers and representatives from United States investigative agencies, many of whom have never previously shared their stories.

Writer Jonathan Lee:

“The Pan Am 103 Disaster and the global manhunt it spawned was a defining event in world history – one that contains so many instances of resilience and courage that deserve to be honoured and understood. It’s a privilege to write this story for the screen.”

Filming will take place later this year in Scotland, Malta and Toronto.