‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103’ to Be Buried on Netflix in July

In the beginning, there were two drama series called Lockerbie: one originally announced by the BBC and Netflix, the other yanked out of languishing in development hell for years by Sky and Peacock upon the news of the BBC version. Then there were name changes to differentiate the two series – both of which featured all-star casts – because the production schedules wound up aligning so closely that they debuted in the U.K. less than six months apart. The Sky/Peacock version (which arrived first in early 2025) became Lockerbie: A Search for Truth; the BBC version, which debuted on the BBC in May 2025, became The Bombing of Pan Am 103.

But while Peacock and Sky (sister networks, both owned by Comcast) released their series nearly simultaneously on both sides of the pond, Netflix demurred when the BBC aired Pam Am, saying the show would arrive in the U.S. “later in the year.”

Apparently, “later in the year” did not actually mean 2025. In fact, it did not even mean “within a year of the BBC broadcast.” But what’s really startling about Netflix’s quiet dumping of The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is how the show is being marketed and designated within the app’s algorithm. It’s not being pushed as an all-star period drama, based on real events, starring some of the BBC’s most brilliant working actors. It’s not even being referred to as a drama at all. Instead, the streaming service is out here calling it a “Netflix Documentary” from its U.K. arm, as if it’s on par with the sort of British documentary trash Netflix uses as slop to help pad out its monthly new release list, such as Should I Marry A Murderer?, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, and the Trainwreck series.

As the BBC trailer shows, this is not that.

Here’s the series 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 103 will debut with all episodes on Netflix on Thursday, July 30, 2026.

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