Netflix is bringing one of the most devastating chapters in aviation history to screens worldwide. The streaming giant has acquired the global rights to The Bombing of Pan Am 103, a six-part British drama that originally aired on the BBC in May 2025. The series, which focuses on the 1988 Lockerbie disaster, will premiere on July 30, 2026.
The show recounts the true story of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people. This event remains the deadliest terrorist attack in British history and led to the largest murder investigation in Scottish policing. The series follows the joint effort between Scottish police and U.S. law enforcement to find those responsible.
Netflix Release Date and Where to Watch
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 will be available for streaming on Netflix starting July 30, 2026. The series will be released globally on the platform, making it accessible to audiences in nearly every country.
The show originally debuted on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2025. The BBC broadcast followed a schedule of two episodes per week over three weeks. Netflix secured the international rights and is now bringing the series to a worldwide audience.
All six episodes will be available to stream on Netflix from the release date. Each episode runs between 55 to 59 minutes. Viewers can watch the series on any device that supports Netflix, including smart TVs, phones, tablets, and computers.
The True Story Behind the Series
The series dramatizes the real-life events of December 21, 1988. Pan Am Flight 103 was a scheduled passenger service from Frankfurt to Detroit, with stopovers in London and New York City. About 38 minutes after takeoff from Heathrow Airport, a bomb exploded in the cargo hold while the plane was flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
All 243 passengers and 16 crew members died in the explosion. Large sections of the aircraft crashed into a residential area, killing 11 people on the ground. The total death toll reached 270. Among the victims were 43 British citizens and 190 Americans.
The attack also claimed the lives of 35 students from Syracuse University who were returning home from a study abroad program. The tragedy connected the small Scottish town with families and communities around the world who lost loved ones.
Cast and Characters
The series features an ensemble cast of British and American actors. Connor Swindells (known for Sex Education and SAS Rogue Heroes) leads the cast as DS Ed McCusker, a Scottish police officer involved in the investigation.
Patrick J. Adams (Suits) plays FBI Special Agent Dick Marquise, who works alongside Scottish authorities. Merritt Wever (Unbelievable, Severance) also stars in a key role.
The supporting cast includes:
- Peter Mullan (Ozark, Payback)
- Tony Curran (Mary & George)
- Eddie Marsan (The Power, Ray Donovan)
- Kevin McKidd (Grey’s Anatomy)
- Lauren Lyle (Karen Pirie, Vigil)
- Douglas Hodge (The Great)
- Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey)
- Nicholas Gleaves, Andrew Rothney, Cora Bissett, Parker Sawyers, James Harkness, Molly Geddes, Khalid Laith, and Amanda Drew
Production and Creative Team
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is produced by World Productions, an ITV Studios company, in association with MGM Television and Night Train Media. The project was initially developed by MGM Television and Night Train Media.
The series is written by lead writer Jonathan Lee, a novelist known for High Dive. Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park wrote two episodes. The writers drew on extensive interviews conducted by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths, who spoke with Scottish police officers and U.S. investigative agencies.
Michael Keillor directed the series. Julia Stannard served as producer. The executive producers include Simon Heath and Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark and Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures; Adam Morane-Griffiths, Sara Curran, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media; along with Jonathan Lee, Michael Keillor, and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin led the project for Netflix.
The Scottish post-rock band Mogwai composed the soundtrack for the series.
What Viewers Are Saying
The series received positive responses from audiences who watched it during its original BBC run. Viewers on IMDb shared their thoughts on the production.
One reviewer called it “a remarkable reconstruction” that effectively showed the scale of the search operation. Another commented:
“Excellent cast shine in this sensitive drama. This series is primarily focused on the extremely complex, wide-ranging and stressful investigation and the multiple countries and agencies who worked together to find the culprits. The whole cast is excellent but in particular Connor Swindells and Patrick J Adams as the Scottish Police and FBI leads are tremendous and so believable.”
Another viewer described it as “very powerful” and “respectful and not over-dramatised”. The series has been praised for its sensitive handling of the tragic events and its focus on the investigation rather than sensationalism.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The series follows the parallel investigations conducted by British and American authorities. The inquiry began immediately after the crash, with Scottish police leading the largest murder investigation in the country’s history.
The investigation spanned multiple countries, including Scotland, the United States, and Malta. The series leads up to the trial at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands in 2000 and the upcoming trial in the United States. Abdulbaset Al Megrahi is the only person convicted in connection with the disaster.
The series also highlights the human impact on the investigators, the families, and the Lockerbie community. Producers and writers spoke with many families and loved ones of the victims. Their stories revealed the impact the bombing had on their lives and the activism that followed, which led to changes in how authorities approach security and safety in mass fatality incidents.
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Trailer and First Look
Netflix released the official trailer for The Bombing of Pan Am 103 on June 29, 2026. The trailer shows the aftermath of the crash and the beginning of the investigation.
“Twenty-one countries have lost citizens in this attack, so inevitably it will require an international effort.”
The trailer also features a key line from Connor Swindells’ character: “Until we catch who’s responsible, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”. The trailer sets up the tension of the investigation and the pressure to find those responsible before another attack occurs.
Netflix also released first-look images from the series on the same day.
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