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Lockerbie dad delighted by Colin Firth portrayal

BBC Dr Jim Swire sits at home holding a photo album which pictures his late daughter. He is wearing a red, white and blue jumper and has white hair. Behind him is a brown wooden unit with small figurines in, and there is a bouquet of artificial flowers with red and yellow petals to his left.BBC
Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the Lockerbie bombing, is the subject of a new TV drama

The father of a Lockerbie bombing victim has said he is delighted by Colin Firth's portrayal of him in a new TV drama.

Dr Jim Swire has campaigned for justice since his daughter, Flora, was killed in the 1988 bombing which claimed the lives of 270 people.

The former GP from Bromsgrove wrote a book with Peter Biddulph called The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father's Search for Justice, which has now been adapted into a five-part series for Sky.

As part of his preparation for the role, Firth visited Dr Swire and his wife Jane in their home.

"He was extremely friendly," Dr Swire said of the award-winning actor, adding that his down-to-earth nature made him and his wife "very taken" with him.

"He's a lovely guy, you'd never know he's an actor. He's an ordinary, open guy who's prepared to talk."

Listen on BBC Sounds: Dr Jim Swire tells how he is now on first name terms with Colin Firth

The TV series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth follows Dr Swire and his wife in the wake of the explosion of Pan Am flight 103 from London to New York, over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Dr Swire's daughter had been travelling to visit her boyfriend in America for Christmas, when she became a victim of the deadliest terror attack in British history.

The series sees Dr Swire, who lives in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, become the nominated spokesperson for the UK victims' families, who united to demand truth and justice.

Getty Images Colin Firth plays Dr Jim Swire in a new TV series. The photo shows Colin Firth in character, in a black suit and tie, walking down a path. There is a man in an army uniform to his left and pieces of white rubble from the plane are at the bottom-left of the image.Getty Images
Colin Firth plays Dr Swire in the new five-part TV series from Sky

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Swire said he had told people in the media before the casting was announced that it would be lovely if Firth could play him.

He said: "Lo and behold, they rang me up one day and said: 'I've got news for you Jim, we've got Colin Firth, he's going to play you.'

"I felt a surge of relief when I heard that because I'd admired his acting in the past."

Over the years, Dr Swire has questioned and been part of efforts to appeal against the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi for the bombing.

He has also called on Sir Keir Starmer to publish everything the UK government knows about the atrocity, saying the government could no longer justify withholding information on the case.

Getty Images Colin Firth plays Dr Jim Swire in a new TV series. The photo shows Colin Firth in character, in a black suit and tie, walking down a path. Behind him is plane rubble and police tape. A man dressed in a police uniform stands to the left-hand side of the image, and a man operating a camera and a mic stands behind Firth.Getty Images
Colin Firth visited Dr Jim Swire and his wife Jane in preparation for the series

Dr Swire said Firth had been "a pillar of strength", adding: "I don't think he'd say I was misrepresenting him if I said that he became more involved than he ever dreamt that he would."

Dr Swire was even invited to see the series being made, getting to sit near the director's chair as filming took place.

Reflecting on the series, he said: "I believe it is an accurate representation and that is publicity beyond value."

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth will premiere on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland on Thursday.

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