By Lacy Baugher for Drama on November 2nd, 2012

New BBC America Teaser for Ripper Street, Series Set to Premiere January 2013

ripperstreetbbca.jpg
BBC America has released their first preview for upcoming period thriller Ripper Street starring Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothberg. Set in the Whitechapel neighborhood in the immediate aftermath of the Jack the Ripper murders, Ripper Street  will focus on the infamous H Division of the London police department and their attempts to keep the peace in the East End following these grisly crimes.

The first (supertiny) teaser for this highly anticipated series aired following the closing ceremonies of the London Olympics, but this is the first clip in which we can actually see some real footage from the show. Well done, BBC America, for starting the promotional wheels for this series turning earlier rather than later – and not just because the BBC’s tendency to drop trailers two weeks before series premieres is often occasionally frustrating.

Anyway, this clip is well worth a look – Macfadyen is looking predictably dishy in period dress and his performance seems predictably solid, even in these brief snippets. What’s most interesting here, though, is the show’s surprisingly dark and grisly tone. This shouldn’t be a total surprise, given that the series is set right after the Ripper murders, but sense of atmosphere, of place and moment in history, is palpable.  I’m intrigued! Hopefully, this won’t doesn’t turn out to be some sort of boring procedural cop drama that happens to feature detectives in period dress, because I quite like the feel of this thing so far. Take a look for yourselves below.

Ripper Street is still being mentioned as a Fall 2012 drama for BBC One – though there’s been no further news about when UK audiences could expect to see it.  At least now we officially know that it will air in America in January 2013, as part of BBC America’s Wednesday night “Dramaville” block.  What say you, folks? Curious about Ripper Street? Or have you had enough of the Ripper for a while?

 

 

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on November 2nd, 2012
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

Explore More

More to Love from Telly Visions

  • ‘Sherlock’s’ Louise Brealey Joins Cast of ‘Ripper Street’

    Luckily, even though we’re all suffering through the terrible experience of waiting through yet another interminable wait for a new season of Sherlock, we’ve got plenty to entertain ourselves with in the meantime since many members of the show’s cast seem to be keeping fairly busy with a variety of projects. And now there’s another name to add to the list of Sherlock stars in unexpected places – Louise Brealey is joining the cast of period crime drama Ripper Street.

    Best known for her role as Sherlock’s brilliant but slightly awkward pathologist Molly Hooper, Brealey will play Dr. Amelia Frayn, a trailblazing female Victorian doctor who runs the Obsidian Clinic in Whitechapel.

    By Lacy Baugher for Drama on 6/23/2014

  • Watch: First Trailer for 'Ripper Street' Series 2

    Ripper Street, the period drama focusing on a group of police officers fighting crime in London’s notorious Whitechapel district during the late nineteenth century, will be returning to BBC One at the end of October, with a US airing not too far behind.

    Created by Richard Warlow, Ripper Street is set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the “Ripper” murders. The series follows H Division, the police precinct from hell which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. H Division was responsible for policing a relatively small area of just 1¼ square miles, yet into that space were packed some 67,000 people; a seething, bustling mass of the poor and dispossessed.

    And, even though the shadow of the Ripper murders may be receding, it doesn’t mean that east London has found any peace.

    Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothberg are all back as crime solving trio Detective Edmund Reid, Detective Bennett Drake and Captain Homer Jackson in the second installment of the popular series. This time, they’ll also be joined by Being Human star Damien Molony as a new detective who’s clearly (as you’ll see in the trailer below) carrying around his own secrets with him.

    By Lacy Baugher for Drama on 10/24/2013

  • New BBC Drama Trailer Shows Off Footage from 'Sherlock', 'The Musketeers' and More

    The BBC released a new trailer yesterday highlighting its forthcoming slate of “Original British Drama” – a montage of both new and returning series that’s meant to get us all excited for the great programs – both new and old – headed our way from Auntie Beeb in the not too distant future.

    Spoiler: This clip does its job really well.

    The trailer – which is extremely well put together and very theatrical – shows off several of the BBC’s most highly anticipated properties, including the returns of Sherlock and Ripper Street and several new premieres, including period drama The Musketeers with Peter Capaldi, The Escape Artist with David Tennant, The Great Train Robbery, Quirke, By Any Means and What Remains.

    Granted, none of these series get to highlight more than a handful of super quick glimpses of new footage – but we don’t think you’ll mind so much. Watch for yourselves below.

    By Lacy Baugher for Drama on 9/2/2013