BBC Releases 'The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103' Trailer

Most people track the changes in how we fly as having begun in 2001. However, the real moment air travel forever went from some glamorous lifestyle to a security nightmare was 1988, when the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Up until that incident, taking flights hostage had never been more than a delay-inducing nuisance, as those who hijacked the plane usually just wanted to use it as a bribe to be allowed to escape whatever was pursuing them. However, the Lockerbie explosion changed that forever, once authorities put together that a bomb had been smuggled aboard in carry-on luggage and the timer fitted to a passenger.

This year will mark the 37th anniversary of the bombing, which might seem like an odd choice. However, multiple Lockerbie-based projects, including Lockerbie: The Search for Truth and The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, were aiming for 2023 and the 35th anniversary, but missed due to the one-two punch of the pandemic and the 2023 strikes. Ironically, both Sky and the BBC had a new peg to hang the two series on, as the new Lockerbie bombing trial, involving Abu Agila Masud, was initially scheduled to begin on May 12, 2025. However, for the BBC, events moved out from under it, as that trial was delayed in March, with no new date set.

Despite that, the BBC is keeping its May 2025 release date and has released the first trailer. 

Here's the series' updated synopsis:

The six-part series follows the untold story of the Scots-US investigation into the attack 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 series leads up to the upcoming new trial in the US. 

The Bombing of Pan Am 103 also highlights the human impact on the investigators, the families, and the Lockerbie community as it sought to rebuild and connect with bereaved families around the world.

The series features an all-star cast, starting with Canadian Patrick J. Adams (Orphan Black), and Americans Merritt Wever (The Gilded Age) and Parker Sawyers (World on Fire) as the American FBI team. On the British/Scottish side, the cast includes Connor Swindells (Rogue Heroes), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Terence Maynard (Ridley), Cora Bissett (Annika), Nicholas Gleaves (After The Flood), Amanda Drew (The Gold), Peter Mullan (Payback), Lauren Lyle (Karen Pirie), and Tony Curran (Mayflies). Supporting cast includes Kevin McKidd (Rome), Molly Geddes (Dinosaur), Eddie Marsan (Supacell), Douglas Hodge (The Great), Andrew Rothney (The Spanish Princess), James Harkness (The Sixth Commandment), and Khalid Laith (Vigil).

Filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths conceived the series; novelist Jonathan Lee was the lead writer on the six-part series, with Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park also penning episodes. Director Michael Keillor (Roadkill) helmed all episodes with Julia Stannard producing. The soundtrack was composed by the award-winning Scottish band Mogwai. Lee and Keillor executive produce alongside Morane-Griffiths, Sara Curran, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media; Simon Heath & Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark & Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures; Mona Qureshi & Manda Levin for Netflix; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. 

The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 will premiere on BBC One on Sunday, May 18, 2025, and will air new episodes on Sundays and Mondays through the end of the month. The press release only says it will stream on Netflix "later in the year."