Sure, I’ll operate on you, after all I am an actress

OUTLANDER actress Caitríona Balfe has revealed how she has fun with fans of the show who confuse her with her timetravelling doctor character. ‘Of course, if somebody’s got a protruding something in their stomach, I’m like, “Yeah, I’ll cut that open, I have my little scalpel’’,’ the Golden-Globe nominated star said at this week’s New York Comic Con, the annual comic book convention. She also revealed how she gets meticulous instructions from medical doctors when she is performing surgical scenes on the hit show. The Monaghan actress, currently on the big screen in the film Ford v Ferrari, also reveals how she has forged a close friendship with co-star Sam Heughan since starting to film the Scottish series that turned her into a household name. ‘We have been working so closely for six years and we sort of have a second hand with each other and I just know exactly what he is thinking,’ she said.

In the upcoming fifth season, fans will get to see her character, Dr Claire Randall, using modern day techniques. She said: ‘It is really interesting, this season in particular. I get to do lots of operations and it’s quite cool.’

She said the show’s creators also try to ensure the medical procedures are accurate.

‘We’re really lucky, we have this amazing medical advisor on the show called Dr Claire.

‘Whenever we have a complicated medical procedure, she talks me through everything from how you hold your scalpel to how you tie a one-handed knot.

‘Last season when we had a surgery in the 1960s, we had this incredible ER nurse who was there and she was like “no it’s all wrong” and she went and changed the layout of all the cotton swabs and things like that.

‘The detail is really incredible and it helps me do the job so much, I love learning the procedures and it’s great because it’s all spongey bits and I can’t actually kill anybody.’