[1] Successful journalist Frank Scully (John Duttine) is visiting old friends, the Harpers (Joanna Dunham and Norman Eshley), in the Yorkshire country town of Micklethorpe.
The Outsider was the brainchild of writer Michael J. Bird, who researched the series by visiting Jim McTaggart, the editor of the Teesdale Mercury newspaper in County Durham.
The Leeds YTV studio was used for interior scenes, whilst on location, the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough doubled for the fictional Micklethorpe.
Plans for a second series of The Outsider were abandoned due to the lead actor John Duttine being unavailable, having signed with the BBC to star in the sitcom Lame Ducks.
[2] Journalist Frank Scully is visiting old friends, Sylvia and Donald Harper, in Yorkshire and becomes involved in local matters.