Outlander star recalls 'memorable' first day on set with Sam Heughan

Outlander will be making its highly anticipated comeback later this month with fans eager to watch the new episodes, which will conclude season seven of the Starz hit. 

Before the forthcoming season’s premiere, Express.co.uk caught up with former star Andrew Gower and reminisced about joining the show as well as some of his exciting new projects - both on and off-screen. 

In an exclusive interview, the 35-year-old star - who portrayed the ill-fated would-be monarch Bonnie Prince Charlie - recounted filming for the very first time on Outlander. 

“First day on set was in a French brothel with Sam Heughan. I don’t know, that’s maybe some people’s dreams?” he joked. 

Gower continued: “But yeah, my first day on set was in a French brothel and it was a memorable day. [Murtagh Fitzgibbons star] Duncan [Lacroix], myself and Sam. 

“What I remember, Bonnie Prince Charlie likes his red wine, he likes his red wine and he did in that scene. So the substitute for that I think was like blackcurrant. So by the end of the day, I think I had purple teeth. A bit of a sugar high after the French brothel and the Ribena.” 

He said lead stars Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe had instantly “welcomed everyone into the fold” at the script read through.

Gower was predominantly in season two with a small role in season three and a cameo in the sixth outing to round off his character’s arc after Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to the Isle of Skye in the disastrous aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. 

The Carnival Row and Black Mirror star admitted he hadn’t realised “how dedicated” the fanbase was and it was only subsequently he understood the immense popularity of Outlander. 

Outlander will be ending with season eight and filming has already concluded on the final series.

Reflecting on the show’s huge growth since its humble beginnings which included filming in a factory in Cumbernauld, Scotland, he said: “I’ve sent my congratulations to [showrunner] Matt [B. Roberts] and [executive producer] Maril [Davis], Sam and Cait and [Lizzie Wemyss actress] Caitlin [O’Ryan]. 

“Amazing that in this day and age, we all know how many shows have been made since streaming services came in, but to see a show go for over a hundred episodes for eight seasons is remarkable and amazing. But not surprising because as we spoke about with crews, they’re so hardworking and dedicated, give the amazing fanbase what they want or sometimes what they don’t even know they need. 

“It’s been amazing from afar to congratulate them all and I’ve said when I’m next up in Scotland or they’re in London, I’ll raise a glass to them.”

Gower is now busy focusing on his music as part of his band Gustaffson, which he formed with his friend James ‘Webbo’ Webster during the pandemic. 

Gustaffson recently released their latest single Flowers from their debut album Black & White Movie. The track saw Gower collaborating with Outlander’s composer Bear McCreary.

The actor is also playing DS Harper, a dogged sleuth and partner to Sharon D. Clarke’s titular detective DCI Ellis in a new Channel 5 crime drama. 

Following the closure of Lionsgate+ in the UK, new episodes of Outlander will be available on Starz and to stream on Prime Video channel MGM+ from Sunday, November 22. You must be an Amazon Prime member before you can sign up for MGM+

Gustaffson’s single Flowers is out on November 15 and their album Black & White Movie will be released in 2025