Nicholas Ralph from ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ Joins ‘Outlander’ Cast in Significant Guest Role

Outlander Season 7 Part 2 has delighted fans with a multitude of significant cameos. Original series stars Graham McTavish and Lotte Verbeek reprised their roles as Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan in the year 1739, and James Fraser (Sam Heughan) interacted with General George Washington (Gary Fannin). However, the most remarkable cameo in this season of Outlander was brought by a well-known Scottish actor recognized for starring in another beloved period drama.

**Spoilers for Outlander Season 7 Episode 13 “Hello, Goodbye,” now streaming on Starz**

This week, Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) finally meets his long-lost World War II pilot father in 1739, portrayed by Nicholas Ralph, best known for his role in All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece on PBS. Fans of period dramas will appreciate the casting choice for this crucial role in Outlander.

Although Jerry MacKenzie, also known as “J. W. MacKenzie,” only appears in a single episode of Outlander, the decision to cast a familiar face from the world of period dramas underscores his significance to the overarching storyline of the show.

So who exactly is Roger’s dad? What little do we and Roger know about him? And why does Nicholas Ralph look so familiar? Here’s everything you need to know about Nicholas Ralph being cast as Jerry MacKenzie on Outlander Season 7 Episode 13 “Hello, Goodbye.”

Roger’s father, Jeremiah Walter MacKenzie, aka Jerry MacKenzie or J.W. MacKenzie, is played by Nicholas Ralph in Outlander Season 7 Episode 13 “Hello, Goodbye.” Jerry MacKenzie was a Spitfire pilot in World War II, recruited to fly on a secret mission to Europe. While practicing maneuvers in the UK on All Hallow’s Eve, Jerry’s plane goes down. Roger grew up believing this is how his father died. In fact, Jerry leaned on some nearby Stones and was catapulted back to 1739.

Did Roger’s long-lost father look awfully familiar to you? That might be because Outlander isn’t the only popular period drama you watch. Scottish actor Nicholas Ralph is best known for playing charming vet James Herriot in the Masterpiece on PBS series All Creatures Great and Small.

All Creatures Great and Small premiered on Masterpiece back in January 2021 and soon became one of the program’s biggest hits since Downton Abbey. The fifth season of All Creatures Great and Small — which coincidentally picks up a storyline where Ralph’s character is serving as a World War II pilot — premieres on Masterpiece on Sunday, January 12 at 9 PM ET.

You can follow Nicholas Ralph on Instagram @nicholasralph_.

While Outlander leaves it a mystery whether or not Jerry MacKenzie winds up back in his own time, the Diana Gabaldon short story “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” fills in quite a few fascinating blanks.

First, according to the Gabaldon story — which first appeared in print in 2010 — the officer who recruited J.W. MacKenzie for his daring mission was actually Captain Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies). Oh, and the coincidences don’t end there!

The story follows Jerry as he not only falls through the Stones and winds up in 1739, but what happens after Roger and Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) bid him farewell. Gabaldon’s story has Roger’s father returning to the World War II era, but time has passed since his disappearance and presumed death.

Jerry eventually makes his way to London, where he’s horrified to find his flat destroyed by German bombing campaigns. After learning wife Marjorie and son Roger are still alive, he finds himself in an Underground station during another air raid. There he sees his wife once more, only for her to be killed by the collapsing ceiling.

Miraculously, Jerry is able to save young Roger during the Blitz, though he himself dies in the process. Because he no longer has his dog tags, no one can identify his corpse. It is still believed that he died in a plane crash.

Outlander hints that this is what also plays out in the show. After returning his father to the Stones, Roger’s only memory of him is in the Underground during the Blitz.