Outlander season 4 character questions: On Tim Downie’s Governor William Tryon

Today marks CarterMatt’s final edition of our Outlander season 4 character questions, unless of course Starz decides to announce some other casting news in the near future. The goal of these articles was to investigate and come up with ideas as to how certain characters could be used in the TV version of the story. Maybe for TV-only fans they offer up some insight, and beyond that we find it interesting to think about how shows will choose to adapt people from established source material.

In the case of how Outlander chooses to adapt Tim Downie and his character of William Tryon, the intrigue here is two-fold given that this is a character who is actually from history as opposed to just one who was written by Diana Gabaldon for the show.

Who is William Tryon? – He was a member of the British Army who eventually settled in North Carolina before becoming the Royal Governor of that state. In history, he went on to take a similar position in New York before returning to England following the Revolutionary War.

Within the books, Tryon has an important part within both Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross, and may be important from the get-go thanks to a land contract he may hand over to Jamie Fraser.

How do you implement him? – We think one of the most fascinating things about bringing Tryon onto the series comes via a historical perspective — how do you choose to present him as opposed to other members of the British Army we have seen from some other locations? The British have not been altogether kind to some Outlander characters over the years and it’s fair to think that the same could be said here. Yet, it’s going to be very much fascinating to see if Tryon is presented differently and what some of the contrast we see through him could mean for other people we meet in North Carolina.

There are certain characters within the Outlander world who are critical from the vantage point of bringing that historical perspective, and we certainly think that Tryon is one of them.

Who is Tim Downie? – For those wanting more information about the actor behind the role, he is a British actor and comedy writer who has been around the industry for a rather long time. In the UK, he is particularly well-known for his roles in movies and TV shows; yet, he may be a little less of a familiar face stateside.

Related – See some more news, including other features in our character questions series

What do you want to see from Governor William Tryon on Outlander season 4? Share right away in the comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to also like CarterMatt on Facebook for some more news and Outlander insight. It’s the best way to stay up to date with all of our Outlander scoop and connect with other fans of the show. (Photo: Starz.)