A new drama series covers the Lockerbie disaster, which claimed 270 lives, and follows Dr Jim Swire’s relentless search for answers.
The five-part series, Lockerbie: A Search For Truth, centres on Dr Jim Swire’s quest for clarity about the fatal crash that took his daughter Flora’s life on December 21, 1988.
Flora Swire was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103, en route to visit her American boyfriend, when a terrorist bomb exploded on board. The blast resulted in the deaths of 270 people, including 11 residents of the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
Colin Firth portrays Dr Jim Swire in the upcoming drama, set to premiere on Sky and Now on January 2. The Oscar-winning actor met with Jim at his home prior to filming.
Reflecting on their encounter, he said: “His alertness and intellectual agility were astounding. The script had a real emotional impact on me. I was overwhelmed by the relentless sadness of his journey.”
With the Sky drama set to be broadcast, here’s an update on the real-life Dr Jim Swire, his wife Jane, and their children.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
Where are Lockerbie campaigners Dr Jim Swire and Jane Swire now 35 years after the tragedy?
Lockerbie campaigner Dr Jim Swire (left) is portrayed by award-winning actor Colin Firth (right)
(Image: Getty)
The Mirror reports the 88-year-old Dr Jim Swire resides with his wife and former teacher Jane in the Cotswolds. Their two other children, William and Catherine, are adults with families of their own.
Catherine Swire has shared her personal experiences surrounding the Lockerbie disaster and reflected on her sister’s death in her book, Flame, Ash, Feather: A dozen eggs from Lockerbie.
Dr Swire, who has been actively campaigning for answers about the Lockerbie disaster, maintains his belief that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Libyan former intelligence officer held responsible for the bombing, was innocent. Al-Megrahi passed away on May 20, 2012, after being released from prison on compassionate grounds due to terminal cancer.
In anticipation of the new Sky drama, Dr Jim Swire expressed his hopes to the BBC that the series would prompt further questions about the disaster. He also urged Sir Keir Starmer to disclose all information the UK government holds about the incident.
Dr Jim Swire and his wife Jane Swire live in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
(Image: BPM)
“”One thing we can do is ask the government of today to release all the documentation about Lockerbie,” stated the former GP. “That would be a tremendous help. Here we are, 36 years down the road, and we know a lot of material has been kept out of public view.
“Why isn’t it in the public interest to release it after 36 years? I think that’s something a lot of people would think is pretty fishy.”
He continued: “The more people look at what happened at Lockerbie the happier I’ll be.
“You can make your own decision about whether you believe the official version or the alternative that we’ve laboured so far to find.
“I hope this the Sky series will do that because I’m getting pretty long in the tooth and I can’t go on doing this forever.”