A reboot of a crime drama that fans called ‘compelling’ is now one of the most watched shows on Netflix in the UK.
Last year, the series Rebus made waves when it was released by the BBC.
Based on the Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin, the first book Knots and Crosses was released in 1987, with another 23 released since then.
The book series, which follows Detective Inspector John Rebus and is mostly based in and around Edinburgh, accounts for an estimated 10% of all crime book sales in the UK, with each routinely selling half a million copies.
In 2000 the TV show, starring John Hannah as the title character was released, and went on to run until 2007, with Ken Stott playing the lead in the subsequent three seasons.
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Then, last year, a reboot hit screens – this time starring Richard Rankin, best known for his roles in Burnistoun and Outlander.
It was teased: ‘The story follows Detective John Rebus as he deals with an infamous Edinburgh gangster, at the same time dealing with the aftermath of his divorce and a changing workplace.’
At the time critics said it ‘terrific’ while the lead star’s performance was labelled ‘alluring’.
This week the six-part series was added to Netflix, where it’s currently sitting in the Top 10 most-watched shows.
Speaking to BBC last year, Richard spoke about stepping into the shoes of the iconic character.
‘Rebus is an iconic character in Scottish literature and television. It already has such a huge following. That aside, it was within the first ten pages of episode one that had me absolutely hooked. I could tell Greggory Burke [the show’s screenwriter] was doing something new and exciting with this. It felt real, it felt dark, and it felt charged.’
He also described the show as a ‘dark, cinematic and gritty character drama’.
The first episode of Rebus attracted 6.3m viewers across all platforms when airing on BBC. It also won three RTS Scotland awards.
This month it was announced that a second season of Rebus would be going ahead.
The BBC said the upcoming episodes would see John Rebus ‘uncover the links between the violent world of the Edinburgh drug trade and the city’s law and finance sectors’.
Sir Ian, who is the show’s executive producer, said: ‘Season one of Rebus ended on a cliffhanger. Only screenwriter Gregory Burke knows what happens next so I’m hugely excited that season two will soon be with us.’
Rebus is streaming on BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
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