Outlander star Lauren Lyle is set to portray detective Karen Pirie in a new ITV crime drama, a role the Scottish actress was determined to land. The 29-year-old, best known for playing Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in the Starz period drama, takes on a very different character in the three-part series based on Val McDermid's novel The Distant Echo.
The series follows Karen Pirie, a fearless Scottish investigator with a sharp tongue and a tenacious desire for the truth. She is tasked with reopening the 1996 cold case murder of barmaid Rosie Duff, whose body was found by three drunken male students. The case is revisited 25 years later after a journalist creates a podcast about the murder.
Lyle explained her motivation for taking the role, saying: 'It's such an iconic thing to get to be like, an ITV British detective on screen.' She added that she never expected to play a detective in her twenties, as such opportunities are rare. When reading the script, she felt a connection to the character, noting they are the same age and both Scottish.
The actress described Karen as 'odd', 'smart', 'determined', and 'hopeful', highlighting that she is a detective viewers have not seen before. 'I can't name you any other mid-twenties female detective on screen,' Lyle said. The drama, adapted for screen by Emer Kenny, also stars Chris Jenks as Karen's subordinate colleague Jason 'The Mint' Murray.
