Tam Dean Burn played Alastair in Outlander season one. He’s looking back on his time participating in the Timex strike of 1993
While Outlander fans know Tam Dean Burn for his role as Alastair, some of his supporters in his home country of Scotland know him for his political activism.
The actor played a role in the first season of Outlander, which is soon releasing its eighth and final season. While the story of Claire and Jamie Fraser is coming to an end, fans are excited to see how the story will be wrapped up.
Tam recently opened up about another role he played in history, but this time off-screen. He was a part of the 1993 Timex Strike in Dundee, where he gained a nickname among protestors.
He told The Courier about his experience on the picket line. Tam discussed his memories of protestors in the streets, blocking cars and buses carrying workers.’
He recalled: “When they managed to get the gates open, I made this futile gesture. I jumped onto the front of the scab bus and held on to the windscreen wipers just to give the driver a bit of lip.
“The cops were pulling me off, but it looked as if I’d just stuck to the window. We all got banged up that night, though I did get a nickname out of it.”
The nickname was “Spiderman,” as he was stuck on the bus. While the strike was a violent time, he also described it as “inspirational.
The strike, which occurred over 30 years ago, began when the company announced layoffs around Christmas in 1992, according to STV News. The workforce rejected the move, and the union decided to stage a three-week walkout in January 1993, and over 300 people were fired and replaced.
The protest is considered one of the largest in Scotland in the 20th century. Tam discussed how he used to visit his dad’s grandparents, who lived in Dundee, on holidays. The Timex strike “brought me back.”
He added: “I was really happy because I think Dundee’s very special, the only place in Scotland that really has a sense of itself still.”
Source: irishstar.com