Outlander: Sam Heughan demonstrates how to speak Gaelic

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Sam Heughan, 42, was catapulted into the spotlight after starring as the Jacobite hero Jamie Fraser in Outlander, along with his co-star Caitriona Balfe, who portrayed his time traveller wife Claire Fraser.

Both have built up a legion of fans since Outlander first hit screens back in 2014 as well as having other film and TV roles and various other enterprises.

Sam has a total of 3.8 million followers on Instagram and is said to be the most influential cast member with the power to earn £8,676 per sponsored post on the social media platform.

Right behind him is co-star and fellow Outlander executive producer Caitriona with 1.9 million followers on the site and in line to make £4,336 per post.

Interestingly, landing in third place is actually Tanya Reynolds, who was a guest star on the show and appeared back in season three as Isobel Dunsany.

The character tied the knot with Lord John Grey (David Berry) and together they raised Jamie’s secret love child William Ransome (Charles Vandervaart) before her untimely death.

Although Tanya has starred in Outlander, she is perhaps better known for appearing in Netflix’s hit comedy-drama series Sex Education as the eccentric Lily Inglehart.

Tanya has 735,000 followers on Instagram and could make £2,531 from each sponsored post she shared.

Just below Tanya is Brianna Fraser actress Sophie Skelton with 697,000 followers which would earn her £2,345 per post.

Rounding off the top five most influential stars from Outlander is Graham McTavish – who is better known as Dougal MacKenzie – who has 564,000 Instagram followers and is in line to make £1,894 per sponsored post.

The figures come from online entertainment retailer Zavvi, which used an Instagram calculator to figure out how much each star could make based on their follower count and engagement rate on the platform.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Zavvi’s brand manager Issy Ehlen said of Sam topping the list: “His character’s talent and charisma, in addition to his gorgeous blue eyes and strong physique, perfectly reflect everything every woman desires in a man today and in the 18th century.

“It’s no surprise that he’s a powerful figure due to his brilliance on-screen and caring heart off-screen with his own charitable organisation.”

Along with starring in Outlander and now serving as a producer on the Starz drama series, Sam is also behind the award-winning Sassenach Spirits through which he’s successfully launched whisky and tequila lines.

The star is also behind My Peak Challenge, a fitness initiative which encourages its members to get fit and health through a series of physical targets.

He has also been starring in many other film and TV projects and will next be appearing in It’s All Coming Back To Me and Born to be Great as well as filming on the survivalist movie Everest.

Sam is often one of the names touted to be next James Bond once Daniel Craig exits, which is likely to be boosting his profile and influence online as well.

Ehlen said of Caitriona: “Of course, as with most things, there is more to her than meets the eye.

“Caitriona is more than simply a model and actress; she has done substantial work for World Child Cancer and describes herself as a ‘Proud patron of World Child Cancer’ on her social media, making her an influential figure among artists.”

Speaking more generally about the show, she said it offered viewers escapism with an “epic love story” which “stands the test of time”.

She said: “The drama, like any popular series, is full of engaging and intriguing characters who portray a wide spectrum of emotions.

“The attraction of the series could be attributed to the fact that viewers can readily sympathise and relate to the characters on screen.”

Outlander season 7 is in production and seasons 1 to 6 are steaming on STARZPLAY now

Visit zavvi.com for all the latest in film and entertainment

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