Outlander season eight has finally arrived on screens for its concluding run, with its principal cast returning, including Jamie (played by Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe), Young Ian Murray (John Bell), Marsali Fraser (Lauren Lyle), Fergus Fraser (César Domboy), and Lord John Grey (David Berry).

The eighth season comprises 10 episodes and draws inspiration from Outlander author Diana Gabaldon's ninth novel Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

The historical fantasy drama has blended reality with fiction, regularly incorporating real-life figures and historical events into the series.

Numerous fans are intrigued to discover more about Lord John Grey, especially following Outlander's executive producer Maril Davis's recent comments expressing interest in developing a spin-off based on Gabaldon's novellas.

Florida State University's Professor Charles Upchurch discussed with Reach Plc the historical figures who may have influenced Lord John Grey and what existence would genuinely entail for the character considering his sexuality, reports the Daily Record.

Professor Upchurch explained there were "high-ranking military men on both sides of the American Revolution" who resembled Lord John Grey.

He referenced Prussian military officer Baron von Steuben, who instructed the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and Secretary of State for the Colonies Lord George Sackville, who oversaw the conflict against the American colonies.

Both von Steuben and Sackville were recognised during their lifetimes for their same-sex attractions. Outlander enthusiasts are hopeful that Lord John, recognised for his profound unrequited affection for Jamie, will ultimately discover some semblance of romantic fulfilment of his own.

Whilst audiences will need to wait to discover how the season unfolds, Professor Upchurch did indicate it was feasible for gay individuals such as Lord John to sustain a same-sex relationship.

He stated: "The more we look, the more scholars are discovering evidence of long-term relationships between both male and female same-sex couples in the 18th century, at the upper, middling, and lower-class levels of society, with the forms that these relationships take varying significantly because of the material resources of each class."

Someone like Lord John would be granted greater privilege owing to his upper class position, being part of the military and possessing wealth.

The punishments for those apprehended having same-sex relationships were "draconian", nevertheless, the "minimal" enforcement of these laws meant that upper-class men could "purchase their privacy" both at home and overseas and would be "relatively safe".

The academic, who is presently working on the book 'Called it Macaroni': A British Queer History of the American Revolution, explained that even those who defied convention and "became notorious" were able to escape abroad rather than face arrest and prosecution. Reflecting on why Lord John Grey may have been included in Outlander by Gabaldon, Professor Upchurch suggested that he served as the antithesis to the brutal Captain 'Black Jack' Randall (Tobias Menzies).

The academic elaborated: "In the torture scenes at the end of season one, Randall's investment in getting Jamie to accept and consent to the violence being inflicted on him is a long-standing trope of literature on colonialism.

"Outlander was innovative in that it was not Claire but Jamie who was the victim, and whilst there were a number of asides in season one that indicated that sex between men was a part of this world and not such a big deal, the lack of queer characters in season one meant that the only representation of sex between men was through violence and sadism, made more extreme because of its use as an analogy for England's treatment of Scotland.

"Lord John, first appearing in season two, is in many ways an atonement for this."

Outlander season 8 airs on Starz in the USA on Fridays and on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK on Saturdays

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