Season eight of Outlander has returned to screens and features a strong family focus as the Starz drama approaches its conclusion.

Here's an explanation of how the various characters in the show are connected to Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) in Outlander, reports the Daily Record.

Jamie has three biological children, though only two were with his wife Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe).

His first child was stillborn daughter Faith Fraser, who passed away during season two in France.

Nevertheless, the season seven finale hinted that she may have survived after all, thanks to Master Raymond's (Dominique Pinon) magic.

Jamie's second child with Claire is Brianna MacKenzie (Sophie Skelton), who was born in the 20th century after he persuaded his wife to travel back through the stones before the Battle of Culloden.

Brianna was brought up by Claire's first husband Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies) and only subsequently learnt that Jamie was her real father, eventually travelling through time to reunite with her parents.

Jamie's third biological child is William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart), whom he fathered with English noblewoman Geneva Dunsany (Hannah James) after being coerced into sleeping with the aristocrat.

William's legal father was the elderly Earl of Ellesmere, who married Geneva following her encounter with Jamie. Lord John Grey (David Berry) serves as William's adoptive father after pledging to Jamie that he would care for his son, who could never learn his true heritage as it would jeopardise his estate and titles.

Therefore, William is the half-brother of Brianna and Faith, as well as Young Ian Murray's (John Bell) cousin.

Jamie also acts as adoptive father to Fergus Fraser (César Domboy), whom he encountered in a Parisian brothel during season two and raised as his own son.

The street child was initially called Claudel, but Jamie bestowed a new name upon him to help him integrate better when they subsequently relocated to Scotland.

Fergus is wed to Marsali Fraser (Lauren Lyle), Jamie's stepdaughter from his second marriage to Laoghaire MacKenzie (Nell Hudson).

Marsali likewise regards Jamie as a paternal figure, given their close family connections.

Young Ian similarly views his maternal uncle Jamie as a father figure following the Highlander's rescue of him from Geillis Duncan's (Lotte Verbeek) grasp in season three.

Young Ian was the son of Jamie's closest friend Ian Murray (Steven Cree) and his sister Jenny Murray (Laura Donnelly/Kristin Atherton).

Francis 'Fanny' Pocock (Florrie May Wilkins) was amongst the daughters of a woman named Faith Pocock, believed to be Jamie and Claire's stillborn daughter in the Outlander television series.

The programme is departing from the original novels, where Faith is definitively deceased and Fanny's mother's name is merely a coincidence. However, Outlander author Diana Gabaldon has previously hinted that she planned to delve into an alternate timeline where Master Raymond rescues the baby using his powers and whisks her off to a different era.

This appears to be the approach the show's writers are taking for their Faith storyline.

In the television series, if Faith survived and had offspring, then Fanny and her late older sister Jane Pocock (Silvia Presente) would be Jamie and Claire's granddaughters.

Outlander season 8 will premiere on Starz in the USA on March 6 and on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK on March 7

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**