Outlander and Doctor Who star Colin McFarlane receives ‘outstanding’ honour

Outlander and The Dark Knight star Colin McFarlane has received an honorary degree from his former university.

The 63-year-old year old British actor, writer and producer, who played Gillian B. Loeb in two films from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, was given the honour for his "outstanding contributions to the arts and his role in championing men's health issues" by his alma mater Loughborough University.

McFarlane, who played Jocasta Cameron's (played by Maria Doyle Kennedy) butler Ulysses across seasons four and five of Outlander, graduated from the university in 1983 with a BA in Drama.

Some of his other roles have seen him appear opposite Liam Neeson in The Commuter, Doctor Who, Father Brown this year, The Larkins, among others.

Along with his onscreen role, he’s a distinguished voice actor and has lent his voice to the likes of Thomas & Friends, Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Hey Duggee, and the Final Fantasy video game franchise.

On stage, McFarlane earned critical acclaim for his performances alongside Sir Lenny Henry in Fences, Sir Harold Pinter’s The Collection and starred opposite Corin Redgrave and later Steven Berkoff in Coriolanus.

He will next be appearing in the Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, which sees him reprising his Torchwood and Doctor Who character General Austin Pierce.

The forthcoming series focuses on a story on the classic Doctor Who villain the Sea Devils and stars Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, Shanice Archer and Ruth Madeley.

In recent years, McFarlane has become a campaigner and spoken out about prostate cancer after his own diagnosis in 2023, advocating for others to get potentially life-saving checks.

Additionally, he is the co-founder of the charity Justice4Windrush, which is campaigning for compensation for the victims of the Windrush scandal and the legal recognition of their right and those of their descendants to live in the UK.

Upon receiving the doctorate, McFarlane said: “I feel very lucky to be able to come back and be recognised for the work I’ve done. It’s a wonderful full circle moment.

“This is where it all began, where the dreams began.

“My younger self wouldn’t believe that one day I’d be in a Batman movie, work with Liam Neeson, become the voice of an iconic game show, produce, direct and write, be offered lovely roles in Hollywood, and make my parents proud.

“And the bonus is that this has given me a platform to help other people. That wasn’t something that was in my dream, but dreams evolve. So, yes, it’s very special to come back to where it all began.”

He also addressed the graduating class with a rousing speech: “You’re at the beginning of your journeys, and we need your generation to step up and make a difference.

“Nelson Mandela said ‘education is the most powerful tool we have to change the world’. That’s your superpower. Use it, and you can change the world.”

Outlander season 7 is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video now

Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on Starz on August 8 and on Prime Video via MGM+ on August 9