James Harkness has become one of the most searched supporting actors in The Bombing of Pan Am 103, the BBC drama now available on Netflix. In the six-part series, the Scottish actor plays Detective Sergeant Sandy Gay, a police officer involved in the enormous investigation that followed the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988.
Harkness is not positioned as the show’s main star, but Sandy becomes an important part of the Scottish investigative team. He works alongside DS Ed McCusker, played by Connor Swindells, as officers search through an unprecedented crime scene and try to understand how a bomb was placed aboard the aircraft.
For viewers looking for the wider historical background, our The Bombing of Pan Am 103 true story explained guide examines the disaster, the investigation and the long effort to secure justice. This article focuses specifically on James Harkness, his character and why his performance stands out.
James Harkness in Pan Am 103 at a glance
| Actor | James Harkness |
|---|---|
| Character | DS Sandy Gay |
| Series | The Bombing of Pan Am 103 |
| Role | Scottish police investigator |
| Episodes credited | 4 of 6 |
| Streaming | Netflix internationally |
Who does James Harkness play in The Bombing of Pan Am 103?
James Harkness plays DS Sandy Gay. Netflix’s official cast guide identifies Sandy as one of the Scottish police officers connected to the investigation, while published cast listings show Harkness appearing across four episodes.
Sandy works close to the practical side of the case. The police are not investigating a single building or a contained crime scene. Wreckage and personal belongings are scattered across a huge area, requiring officers, forensic specialists, military personnel and local volunteers to recover, label and examine thousands of items.
Within that environment, Sandy helps the series show the patient, repetitive and emotionally exhausting work behind a major international investigation. His scenes with Ed McCusker also give the Scottish side of the story a more personal dimension. They are not presented as distant officials who already know the answers. They are officers confronting something far larger than anything they expected to face.
Is Sandy Gay a real person?
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is based on real events, but it is still a television drama. It combines documented figures, reconstructed conversations and dramatized scenes to make a complicated investigation understandable across six episodes.
Official Netflix material confirms James Harkness’s role as Sandy Gay, but it does not explain how literally every scene involving the character should be interpreted. Viewers should therefore distinguish between the historical reality of the Lockerbie investigation and the exact dialogue, relationships or emotional moments created for television.
The safest conclusion is that Sandy represents the Scottish officers whose detailed work helped turn a vast field of wreckage into evidence. Even when a character is connected to a real investigator, scenes may be compressed, combined or reconstructed for dramatic clarity.
What does Sandy Gay do in the series?
Sandy is part of the team working through the physical evidence recovered after the bombing. His role places him close to DS Ed McCusker and the officers trying to identify the device, reconstruct the route of the luggage and find a usable lead among badly damaged fragments.
This makes Sandy important even when he is not leading the investigation. The case depends on small observations. A label, piece of fabric, electronic component or damaged instruction booklet can become meaningful only after it is correctly recovered and connected to other evidence.
Harkness plays Sandy as alert and practical, but not untouched by what he sees. That balance matters because the series repeatedly returns to the psychological pressure placed on first responders and investigators. They must remain methodical while working among the remains of an aircraft, destroyed homes and the personal possessions of people who were killed.
The character also prevents the police investigation from feeling like a collection of dates and technical discoveries. Through Sandy and the officers around him, viewers see how difficult it was to continue ordinary life while carrying the memory of Lockerbie into every working day.
Why James Harkness is effective as Sandy Gay
Harkness gives the role a grounded quality that fits the tone of the series. He does not play Sandy as a conventional television detective who solves the mystery through one dramatic revelation. Instead, the performance reflects the slow accumulation of evidence and the strain of working inside a case that attracts international attention.
His Scottish background also supports the local identity of the production. Director Michael Keillor has spoken about the value of having a strongly Scottish cast and the sense of connection many cast members had to the event. Harkness’s natural delivery helps Sandy feel like part of the working police team rather than a supporting character inserted only to explain information to the audience.
The actor is particularly effective in quieter scenes. Sandy’s reactions often communicate uncertainty, fatigue or concern without turning the series into melodrama. This restrained approach suits a production dealing with a real tragedy and the deaths of 270 people.
Our The Bombing of Pan Am 103 Netflix review looks at how successfully the full series balances the investigation, the victims’ families and the experiences of the Lockerbie community.
Who is James Harkness?
James Harkness is a Scottish film and television actor from Glasgow. He has built a career through intense dramatic roles, period productions, crime series and major international films.
Before appearing in The Bombing of Pan Am 103, he was already familiar to British television audiences through The Victim, The Nest, The Sixth Commandment and Gangs of London. Netflix viewers may recognise him as early footballer Jimmy Love in The English Game, while science-fiction audiences may remember his appearances in Raised by Wolves and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Harkness was also selected for BAFTA Elevate’s 2019-2020 acting cohort. The programme was designed to support performers from underrepresented backgrounds as they progressed toward larger opportunities in high-end television and film.
His work often involves characters under pressure, which makes him a strong fit for Sandy Gay. In The Victim, he played Craig Myers, a family man accused online of being a notorious child murderer. In The Sixth Commandment, he portrayed DS Richard Earl, placing him in another serious drama based on real events.
Where else have you seen James Harkness?
The Victim
Harkness played Craig Myers in this BBC thriller. The role demanded vulnerability and tension because Craig’s life is transformed by a public accusation. It remains one of the actor’s most recognisable television performances.
The English Game
In Netflix’s period drama about the early development of professional football, Harkness played Jimmy Love. The series gave him a prominent role in a story combining sport, class and social change.
The Nest
He appeared as James in the BBC drama The Nest, which follows a couple whose attempt to start a family becomes connected to a young surrogate. The role again allowed Harkness to work within an emotionally complex ensemble.
The Sixth Commandment
Harkness played DS Richard Earl in the acclaimed true-crime drama. Viewers who discovered him through Pan Am 103 may notice a similar controlled quality in both performances, although the two police roles serve very different stories.
Raised by Wolves
He played Tamerlane in the science-fiction series. The role is very different from his grounded British dramas and shows his ability to work within a visually ambitious, unfamiliar world.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Harkness appeared as Private Basteren in Rogue One. It was a smaller role, but it placed him inside one of the largest film franchises in the world.
Spencer
He also appeared in Spencer, the drama starring Kristen Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales. Harkness played Footman Paul, adding another major period film to his credits.
How James Harkness fits into the wider cast
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 uses a large ensemble because the investigation crossed institutions, borders and years. Connor Swindells leads the Scottish police storyline as Ed McCusker, while Peter Mullan plays senior officer John Orr and Tony Curran appears as investigator Harry Bell.
On the American side, Patrick J. Adams plays FBI agent Dick Marquise, Merritt Wever portrays Kathryn Turman and Eddie Marsan appears as explosives specialist Tom Thurman. James Harkness’s Sandy Gay belongs to the group of investigators whose work keeps the story connected to the evidence recovered in Scotland.
That supporting position is valuable. The series cannot rely only on senior officers and official meetings. It also needs characters who show the physical work, emotional cost and uncertainty faced by investigators closer to the ground.
Is James Harkness one of the main cast members?
James Harkness is a supporting cast member rather than the single lead of the series. However, Sandy Gay has a meaningful presence in the Scottish investigation storyline, particularly through his work with Ed McCusker.
The size of the role also reflects the structure of the drama. The Bombing of Pan Am 103 moves between police officers, FBI agents, forensic experts, government officials, Lockerbie residents and victims’ families. No one supporting character is expected to carry the entire narrative.
Where can you watch James Harkness in Pan Am 103?
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is streaming on Netflix internationally. The series originally aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom in 2025 before reaching Netflix viewers worldwide.
It contains six episodes and follows the investigation from the immediate response in Lockerbie through later international developments. James Harkness is credited as Sandy Gay in four episodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
James Harkness is the Scottish actor who plays Detective Sergeant Sandy Gay in The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Sandy is portrayed as a Scottish police officer working on the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Published cast credits list James Harkness in four episodes of the six-part series.
Yes. James Harkness is a Scottish actor from Glasgow.
He played Jimmy Love in The English Game. He has also appeared in productions including The Victim, The Nest, The Sixth Commandment, Raised by Wolves and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Yes. The series is based on the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, and the investigation that followed. Like most historical dramas, it uses dramatized scenes and reconstructed dialogue.
Final thoughts
James Harkness gives The Bombing of Pan Am 103 one of its most grounded supporting performances. As DS Sandy Gay, he helps represent the officers who had to turn an overwhelming disaster site into an organised investigation, one recovered item at a time.
The character may not receive the same attention as the show’s senior investigators, but Sandy’s presence is essential to the drama’s view of police work. Harkness brings restraint, credibility and a distinctly Scottish voice to a series that depends on treating the Lockerbie story with seriousness.