NOW IT’S OUCH-LANDER!
Star of Outlander has painful brush with voracious midges while filming in the Highlands
‘Our work is really tough’
SHE is a former Vogue model, respected actress and star of a hit TV drama series.
But, as the saying goes, there is always a fly in the ointment – or in this case, midges on the film set.
Outlander star Caitriona Balfe encountered the voracious pests while filming the More4 series on location in the Highlands recently.
The 38-year-old Irish actress posted a picture on Instagram of her heavily swollen face with the message: ‘200 species... and everyone of them a F*@%€r !!! #midges.’
Cast and crew have been hit too. Writer and producer Matthew Roband erts tweeted: ‘Many ask what locations are the most challenging to film. Answer: anywhere with #midges’.
Experts have predicted that around 70billion midges will hatch this year – a record.
The insects typically begin to appear at the end of May and last year an estimated 68billion hatched north of the Border, a 40 per cent increase on 2016.
Dr Alison Blackwell, who operates the Scottish Midge Forecast, said a burst of hot weather had encouraged them to breed.
She added: ‘There is a high level of midges because there was a delay in them starting and the sudden warm wet weather conditions have brought them out.’
Miss Balfe plays time-travelling Claire Fraser, a nurse in the 1940s who is transported back to Scotland in 1743. There she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan.
Each episode of Outlander is watched by an estimated five million viewers worldwide.
Miss Balfe recently told the Irish Tatler that everyone working on the series supports each other, and there is no room for divas on set.
She said: ‘Our work is really tough and we’re in tough conditions, like when you’re out in the p ****** rain or sideways snow, which happens. To have people be supportive of each other and care about each other, that makes such a huge difference.’