Caitríona Balfe Cleared After ‘Outlander’ Interview Misquote Sparks Backlash in Shotts

Caitríona Balfe is no longer at odds with the Scottish town of Shotts after a viral interview clip mistakenly made it appear she called the entire town “an armpit.”

The controversy began after a Gold Derby interview with Balfe and her Outlander costar Sam Heughan asked the pair to name their worst filming location. In the edited clip, Balfe appeared to say, “We filmed at a place in season 8 — I think it’s called Shotts — an armpit.”

Residents of the North Lanarkshire town criticized the remark, calling it insulting and unfair. Gold Derby later removed the video and issued a public apology, saying Balfe had been misquoted due to an editing error.

According to the outlet’s corrected statement, Balfe had actually been referring to “a particular place” near Shotts — an old dump and swampy filming site where production faced repeated disruptions.

Gold Derby apologized to Balfe, the people of Shotts, and everyone involved. The filming location in question was reportedly near Hartwood Hill, where Outlander crews previously dealt with vandalism and theft during production.

Balfe and Heughan are currently promoting the eighth and final season of Outlander.