Rebus’s Richard Rankin says reboot is written "so wonderfully"
Rankin has heaped praise on the writing for the new BBC crime drama adapted from Ian Rankin's novels.
The latest adaptation of Ian Rankin's beloved Inspector Rebus novels, Rebus, is arriving on BBC One later this month, following John Rebus as a young detective sergeant, who finds himself drawn into a violent conflict, one which becomes personal when his brother crosses the line.
The series arrives with lofty expectations, not only because of the popularity of the books, but also because of the inevitable comparison's with ITV's version which starred John Hannah and, later, Ken Stott.
However, speaking ahead of the show's arrival, Outlander's Richard Rankin (no relation to Ian), who stars in the title role in the new show, has suggested fans have nothing to fear, as he has heaped praise on its "excellent" writing.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com exclusively, Rankin said: "It’s a very popular genre anyway, isn't it, the Crime genre? There is such an appetite for it, there always has been in one form or another. The source material is so well-written, so wonderfully written by Ian Rankin.
Rankin continued: "And then we've got the screenwriting and it is so, so good from Greg Burke, I think he's an excellent writer, and I think his take on it is exciting. I think that we have such a rich world to draw from, and Greg's from that world himself.
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"He's coming to it with such experience, such honesty, such a story to tell, and he understands this world as a character, the political and social landscape of it all, he writes it, puts it in there, and gives it to us to take and put it on screen.
"I feel very lucky to have had that. Those scripts and the source material that it came from, because it just really enriches it all and fills it with something substantial on screen."
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Brian Ferguson, who stars as Rebus's brother Michael, also emphasised that the reboot is "a response to the books, not a faithful adaptation".
"They are built on the Rebus novels, which is such an amazing foundation and source material to work from," he explained. "But then I think what's really exciting is that at the beginning of this, Ian Rankin did say to Gregory Burke, 'You take these and make them yours.' And Greg really has.
"So I think that they do, in a way, feel like a response to the original novels rather than a faithful adaptation. And what that's given Greg licence to do is well, A - and in the most immediate sense - to take Rebus back kind of 20 odd years to when he's 40 and also set it right now, 2023 when we made it ... because I think things have changed so much, and those 20 years."
Lucie Shorthouse, who plays DC Siobhan Clarke, echoed Ferguson's comments.
"It's definitely a reimagining," she said. "Even though the characters are obviously different, I think if you're a fan of the books, hopefully you'll spot the similarities.
"And it's another way to enjoy the story. It's another format to appreciate that level of storytelling in the end."
As well as Rankin, Ferguson (The Ipcress File) and Shorthouse (Line of Duty), the series also stars Amy Manson (The Diplomat), Neshla Caplan (The Rig), Noof Ousellam (Vigil), Stuart Bowman (The Serpent) and Caroline Lee Johnson (Trying), among others.
Rebus will launch on Friday 17th May. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am, with episode one airing on BBC Scotland on Friday 17 May at 10pm and on BBC One on Saturday 18 May.
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