Rebus returns to TV screens in second series
The new series, written by Gregory Burke, will feature Richard Rankin reprising his role as Detective Sergeant John Rebus.
Six hour-long episodes, to be filmed in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow, have been commissioned by the BBC for BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC One.
The first six-part series from Eleventh Hour Films, launched in full on BBC iPlayer in 2024 and received widespread praise from both critics and audiences.
The debut episode attracted 6.3 million viewers across all platforms while last month it scooped three RTS Scotland awards for Best Drama, Writer and Director.
Series two will continue to explore Rebus's complex world and the links between violent criminals in the drug trade in Edinburgh and the professional bourgeois world of law and finance.
Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland said: 'We were blown away with the audience response to the new-look Rebus first time round so bringing it back for a second series was always a priority.
'The combination of brilliant storytelling, powerful performances and top class production values will make this new series must-see television.
'This commission is part of our recently announced strategy to bring more high impact scripted content from Scotland and we're confident audiences will enjoy this next series as much as they did the first.'
Paula Cuddy, Executive Producer and Co-CEO at Eleventh Hour Films said: 'After three wins at the RTS Scotland Awards 2025, we couldn't be more thrilled to now share that we are reuniting with Ian Rankin's celebrated Scottish detective, brilliantly portrayed by Richard Rankin, to bring a second series of Rebus to the BBC.
'No doubt it'll pack a punch and there'll be some sardonic Rebus comments along the way. We can't wait.'
Ian Rankin, who is an executive producer on the show, 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 back — mean, moody and as magnificent as ever.'
Writer Burke added: 'I'm delighted to be given the chance by the BBC and Eleventh Hour Films to bring Rebus back to the nation's TV screens once more.
'Ian Rankin's character and body of work are the perfect materials with which to explore contemporary Scottish society and the turbulent world that surrounds it.'
Rebus is part of a growing list of BBC dramas from Scotland, including Shetland, Vigil, Granite Harbour, The Bombing of Pan Am 103, Half Man and the recently announced Counsels, The Young Team and Grams.
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt review – a warmly comic saga of male friendship
Scottish-German author Alexander Starritt's debut, The Beast, followed a tabloid journalist; his second novel, We Germans, was about a Nazi. His new book gets us rooting for two wealthy management consultants fresh out of Oxford, both of them men (assuming you haven't already tuned out). I suspect his agent might have found it easier to pitch a novel about sex criminals, not least because Drayton and Mackenzie's approach is so unfashionably traditionalist: it's a chunky, warmly observed, 9/11-to-Covid saga that, while comic in tone and often extremely funny, doesn't labour under any obligation to send up its protagonists, still less take them down. James Drayton, born to north London academics, is a socially awkward high achiever who privately measures himself against Christopher Columbus and Napoleon. Joining the McKinsey consultancy firm after coming top of his year in philosophy, politics and economics hasn't eased the pressure he has always felt to 'come up with something so brilliant it was irrefutable, like the obliterating ultra-white light of a nuclear bomb'. The key to his sense of destiny arrives in the unlikely shape of a slacking junior colleague, Roland Mackenzie, who graduated with a 2:2 in physics (for James, a shame akin to 'admitting erectile dysfunction'). Mutual suspicion thaws when they're tasked with restructuring an Aberdeen oil firm in possession of the patents for a pioneering underwater turbine – tempting James and Roland to poach their star engineer, quit McKinsey and go it alone in green energy. It's a mark of Starritt's confidence that the quest to harness tidal power – the book's main business – gets going only 200 pages in. We feel in safe hands from the start, reassured that he knows the story's every last turn ('In later years, when he was the subject of articles and interviews …' begins a line about James on the second page, his A-levels barely over). But we're kept on our toes: while the narration hews to the point of view of the central duo, it fills in the period backdrop – bailouts, Brexit – by dipping unpredictably into the perspective of real-life figures such as the Italian politician and former president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, seen delivering his famous 2012 speech vowing to save the euro 'whatever it takes'. As James and Roland jet around the world for venture capital, Starritt grants hefty speaking parts to PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Elon Musk (is he allowed to do that?, I asked myself: always a sign of a writer up to something exciting). The plot is crammed with curveballs for the plucky entrepreneurs, whether it's a shattered undersea cable, a coma caused by undiagnosed diabetes, or the dilemma that ensues when James and Roland fall for the same woman, having spent much of the novel joking uneasily about going to bed with each other. With a joyful knack for pithy analogy, the writing holds our attention as much as the events: the aforementioned relationship wrangle induces a 'low eczemal itch of guilt' in the eventual girlfriend-stealer, while new parents drive home from the maternity ward feeling 'like random civilians handed suits and guns and told to protect a miniature, defenceless president'. There's pathos as well as laughter in the protagonists' beer-and-Champions League blokeishness, a way to keep unvoiced feeling at bay. When Roland, nearly 30, wistfully recalls a teenage holiday fling, he thinks that 'she was probably someone's mum by now', a line hinting at his deep-lying sense of stasis, even as the company's ambition grows: not just electricity, but rocket fuel. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Because it concentrates on personalities rather than systems or ideas – not unlike Richard T Kelly's 2023 North Sea oil novel, The Black Eden – Drayton and Mackenzie probably won't be called 'cli-fi' in the way that the novels of Richard Powers are, but it's a reminder that science fiction isn't the only game in town in terms of writing about the environment and technology. Yet while there's no shortage of chat about electrolysers and optimal blade rotation, Starritt keeps his focus on the human story of invention: dangling quietly over the action is the fact that James, lauded as a visionary, relies mostly for his ideas on other people. In the end, though, critique of disruptor-era genius is less important here than feeling and friendship; the winningly Edwardian, even Victorian, approach to storytelling extends right to the heart-swelling deathbed climax. It might have been subtitled A Love Story. Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt is published by Swift (£16.99). To support the Guardian buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Keeley Hawes is a foul-mouthed James Bond in slick thriller The Assassin
The Assassin is a fast-paced thriller interwoven with family drama Kicking off with a high-energy opening sequence packed with fight scenes and cinematography that could rival a James Bond film, The Assassin certainly delivers, reports the Express. The six-part series centres around retired hitwoman Julie Green (portrayed by Keeley Hawes), who is reluctantly pulled back into the game for one final, potentially fatal job. However, there's a significant hitch: Julie's estranged journalist son Edward (played by Freddie Highmore) has decided to visit her for the weekend after four years, under the impression that she's a simple head hunter. What ensues is a thrilling, fast-paced drama intertwined with family dynamics as Julie and Edward truly reconnect. This series marks a distinct shift in pace for Hawes, who earlier this year portrayed Cassandra Austen in PBS and BBC's tranquil period drama Miss Austen. In fact, Hawes' last venture into Greek territory was as Louisa Durrell in ITV's heartwarming family series The Durrells, set on the picturesque island of Corfu. However, with her impressive performances in Spooks, Line of Duty and Ashes to Ashes, Hawes certainly has the action credentials to portray Julie convincingly. The Assassin sees her reunite with writers Harry and Jack Williams, following her appearance in the second series of their International Emmy-winning show, The Missing. Her on-screen partnership with Highmore is a match made in heaven as the contrasting pair compete in a battle of wits. The chemistry between the two actors is palpable, forming the beating heart of the show. Highmore effortlessly steps into the role of investigative journalist and vegan Edward, portraying his struggles while on the run with ease. The former child actor is no stranger to intricate on-screen mother-son relationships, having previously played a young Norman Bates in the modern Psycho prequel, Bates Motel. Other notable members of the cast include Jack Davenport, Alan Dale, The Tourist's Shalom Brune-Franklin, and David Dencik from Top of the Lake. However, this isn't your typical thriller - there's a wickedly dark strand of British comedy woven throughout the storyline. The sharp one-liners flow effortlessly between mother and son, showcasing the Williams brothers' razor-sharp writing skills. From Julie being dubbed a "menopausal James Bond" to Edward being cautioned that his search for his biological father "isn't Mamma Mia", The Assassin is loaded with as many witty remarks as it is with gunfire and expletives. Sometimes you'll find yourself uncertain whether to chuckle at the over-the-top scenarios, but the formula works brilliantly. The Williams duo have struck gold once more with The Assassin - this is a genuine winner. Whilst their previous series The Tourist delivered nail-biting tension, The Assassin balances the drama with considerable humour and wit, creating the perfect British action-thriller with a darkly comic twist.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Popular picks for July: SEVEN RULES FOR A PERFECT MARRIAGE by Rebecca Reid, MY OTHER HEART by Emma Nanami Strenner, THE SECRETS OF DRAGONFLY LODGE by Rachel Hore
Seven Rules for a Perfect Marriage is available now from the Mail Bookshop SEVEN RULES FOR A PERFECT MARRIAGE by Rebecca Reid (Bloomsbury £9.99, 304pp) Moral fable meets urban romance in this tale of relationship influencers. Jessica and Jack have millions of followers, plus book and TV deals coming out of their ears. Everyone wants a marriage as wonderful as theirs. Behind the scenes, however, they're both miserable. She wants a baby while he wants his old job back at the BBC. During a moment of drunken madness, Jack unwisely reveals all. What now, as followers and publishers desert the golden couple in droves? Lots of fun media detail and some great minor characters; Jack's stingy and snobbish parents, in particular. MY OTHER HEART by Emma Nanami Strenner (Hutchinson Heinemann £18.99, 416pp) A sharp upstairs-downstairs look at the Asian-American experience. We're in Philadelphia with Kit, Japanese adopted daughter of a wealthy white couple, and her BFF Sabrina, child of a poor Chinese single mum. School's just ended and this last summer before college has some big surprises in store. While feckless, beautiful Kit flies off to find herself in Tokyo, the less assured Sabrina interns at a downtown migrant charity. In the background is Vietnamese Mimi, whose child was snatched as a baby, and Lee Lee, Sabrina's prickly ma. I loved this family drama which considers geography and destiny from a fascinating point of view – with a great twist at the end. THE SECRETS OF DRAGONFLY LODGE by Rachel Hore (Simon and Schuster £16.99, 480pp) Writer Stef's researching a book about pioneering women scientists. One is zoologist Nancy Foster, an elderly Norfolk neighbour of her mother's. Brilliant as she was, Nancy's career never reached the heights it should have, but why? Stef sets about finding out, getting to know her subject's smouldering grandson along the way. There unfolds a tale of sexism and skulduggery. The action moves between modern-day Stef and 1950s London, where Nancy studies alongside dashing and dastardly James West. Hore's novels are absorbing, calming and wonderfully sane. They should be prescribed on the NHS.
