‘Outlander’ Season 1 Spoilers: Everything You Need To Know About Author Diana Gabaldon’s Role In Episode 4, 'The Gathering'

“Outlander” author Diana Gabaldon will make her acting debut in Season 1 episode 4 of the Starz series, as previously reported. See Gabaldon in her full plaid glory as Iona MacTavish in a tweet below via Entertainment Weekly:

Originally, Gabaldon was set to appear in a cameo role without lines. “Now, originally, they’d asked if I’d like to be an extra, and I said sure, that might be fun, and the fans could play ‘Where’s Waldo?’ when the show is released,” Gabaldon wrote on her website. “But some weeks later, they (the production team) emailed me to say that they’d been thinking about this; if I were an extra, I’d have to stand essentially in the same place for three days.”

The bestselling author was thrilled when producers explained that having a scene with a few lines would require less time and probably be a little more fun. She described her part as a “tiny scenelet” at the Gathering.

“The lady in question is at the Gathering, and the scenelet in question takes place in one of the galleries over the Great Hall,” Gabaldon explained to her fans. “I’m not supposed to post set photos or describe the sets in great detail—but hey, you’ve read the book; you know what it looks like.”

This is good news for fans of the novels. It sounds like the show’s interpretation lived up to the grandeur of the Gabaldon’s source material. The Gathering is a huge party with all of the 18th century “Outlander” characters, but Gabaldon probably won’t interact with her heroine, Claire, because she’ll be busy with her next escape plan. However, the author might interact with showrunner Ron Moore. He is making a cameo as well, TV Guide reported.

“Outlander” Season 1 episode 4 is called “The Gathering” and will air Saturday, Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. EDT on Starz. Are you excited for Gabaldon’s appearance? Let us know in the comments section below!