The time is here! Amazon Prime has brought back Outlander for season five after a long wait, and we can't wait to be reunited with Jamie, Claire, Brianna and Roger. Ahead of the show's launch on the streaming service, here's everything you need to know about Outlander season five, including air date, plot and where the new series is being filmed…
When is Outlander season 5 on?
It has been confirmed that Outlander season five will launch in the UK on Monday 17 February, just one day after it's US premiere on Starz. The last two seasons of the show premiered in September and October respectively, meaning that season five took several months longer than usual to air. Speaking about the upcoming series, Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht said: "Fans can rest assured their beloved Claire and Jamie will be back facing new challenges, adversaries and adventures in seasons five and six as we delve into American history and continue the story of the Frasers as they settle in the New World."
WATCH: Outlander season five has released the opening scene starring a young Jamie – watch it here
Sam Heughan also recently opened up about the delay, telling Digital Spy: "For me, personally, it's been fantastic. It opened a lot of opportunities. I shot two movies in the hiatus last year. I'm about to go do another one when we finish here. So, it's been great, it's been a great opportunity. I actually think it's necessary for me as an actor to go and do something different."
How and where can I watch Outlander
For UK-based viewers, Outlander season five will be available on Amazon Prime from Monday 17 February, with a new episode being released weekly. Watch the trailer for the upcoming show here:
What will happen in Outlander season 5?
The fifth season of Outlander will be loosely based on Diana Gabaldon's fifth novel in the series, The Fiery Cross, however, the new series may combine events from different novels. Speaking at the New York Comic Con in 2018, showrunner Ronald Moore said: "Every year we approach it fresh. Should we keep it a book a season? We've done that up until now. But we've talked about splitting books, and we've talked about combining them."
Should the show follow the book closely, season five will look at Roger and Brianna's relationship and how they get used to being parents to their baby son (and living in the past, of course). Of course, since it's Jamie and Claire there's never trouble far away, and Jamie will have to form a militia in the new world. Jamie is also bitten by a venomous snake while hunting with Roger, and the pair bond over the experience. The actor who plays Roger, Richard Rankin, has previously opened up about his role in season five, telling Fox News that he loves "how his character will evolve as a new husband and father". We put together the main plot points of the novel as an idea of what to expect here.
READ: Outlander star reveals major season five storyline
Speaking of the new series, Caitriona said: "So thrilled to announce that we have been picked up for not one but two more seasons. This series has been such a dream come true and to know that we will get to continue to tell the story of these characters that we love so much makes me so… happy."
What happened in Outlander season 4?
As well as plenty of drama from the Fraser family as they settled in colonial America, the story focuses on Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna, as she discovers that her parents are going to one day die in a fire and travels back through the stones to warn them. She is followed by Roger, and the pair are handfast. However, during their separation following an argument, Brianna is attacked and sexually assaulted by the pirate Stephen Bonnet. While Roger attempts to track down a now-pregnant Brianna, who has reunited with her parents, Jamie mistakes him as being the man who attacked Brianna and sells him to the Mohawk people. He and Claire set out to rescue Roger, who eventually reunites with Brianna and promises to raise her son as his own.
Who is in the cast of Outlander season 5?
Caitriona Balfe will of course be returning as Claire, the WWII nurse who accidentally travelled back in time and fell in love with Jamie, played by Sam Heughan! Sam might be rumoured to be auditioning to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, but he will always be Jamie in our eyes! Sophie Skelton will also be reprising her role as Brianna MacKenzie for the fourth time, while her onscreen husband Richard Rankin will be back as Rodger. It can also be assumed that Maria Doyle Kennedy will be reprising her role as Jamie's aunt Jocasta, and Duncan Lacrois will return as everyone's favourite fugitive, Duncan Lacrois.
READ: Outlander star reveals there will be a long gap between seasons five and six