Lauren Lyle is a Scottish actress best known for her main role as Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in the Starz television drama Outlander, and peace protester Jade Antoniak in the BBC drama Vigil. Lyle also plays the leading role in the ITV crime thriller Karen Pirie.
Her first television appearance, on BBC Three's BBC Comedy Feeds, saw Lyle appearing in a series four episode entitled "Radges".[6][7] Long-running medical drama Holby City featured Lyle as Katherine Rice in the Series 18 episode "Who You Are" (2016).[8][9] From there she featured in a three-episode stint, opposite Sean Bean, in the BBC drama Broken.[10][11]
In 2017, Lyle debuted in the recurring role of Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in Starz's hit time travel drama Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon's best-selling book series of the same name.[12][13] Returning to her roots at the National Youth Theatre, Lyle appeared in the television documentary Stage Direction to discuss her experiences with the program.[14]
In early 2020, Lyle began hosting the podcast She's a Rec'. In each episode, she interviews a female guest about the "albums, films, books and female heroes" that have had the most influence in their lives.[17][18]
In 2021 Lyle appeared in the BBC crime drama Vigil. She portrayed Jade Antoniak, a peace protester and the girlfriend of Martin Compston’s character Craig Burke.[19] The show, which is set on a ballistic missile submarine, gained over 10.2 million views in the first seven days, making it the BBC's most-watched show of the year.[20]
In 2022, Lyle starred as investigator Detective Sergeant Karen Pirie in the ITV murder drama series Karen Pirie, based upon author Val McDermid’s novel The Distant Echo.[21]
Awards
At the BAFTA Scotland Awards in November 2023, Lyle was awarded Best Actress Television for Karen Pirie and the Audience Award for Favourite Scot on Screen.[22]
