Time for Ripper Street fans to dust off the bowler hats, fire up a cheroot and do the happy dance: Ripper Street is coming back from the dead. Yes, really!
The recently axed drama is being revived by Amazon’s brand, spanking new service, Amazon Prime Instant Video. It will re-run the first two series/seasons followed by an all-new third.
Lead actors Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn are confirmed for Series/Season 3, which starts filming in May. Fingers crossed, the rest of the fantastic cast will also be back. Step away from the razor, Artherton…
Flynn, who broke the news live on-air that Ripper Street had been axed, thanked fans with a heartfelt message on his Facebook page:
Dear friends, I’m sorry you have been kept in suspense for so long, but I’m afraid my hands have been somewhat tied whilst all the small details have been ironed out..but I’m delighted to say I can now officially share with you that Ripper St is going to a third series! And we start filming in May. … Its wonderful news, and I want to thank you all for being such a huge part in getting the show back after what felt like a premature death. So congratulations all of you! I know everyone involved is keen to make it even better than the 1st two series, and I really do believe we can do that…thank you again and catch you soon with another important post! A happy heart full day to you all, Jerome. X
Rumours of an Amazon/LOVEFiLM deal to save Ripper Street have been circulating for a while, and programme makers Tiger Aspect confirmed back in December that they were in talks to relaunch the drama.
Announcing the deal, Jason Ropell, Head of Amazon Instant Video International Content Acquisition, said: “We’re delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers, but we can also confirm today that we will making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama.”
Pantomime villain BBC drama boss Ben Stephenson said: “This deal gives fans another series of the show they love at excellent value to the licence fee-payer, ensuring that the BBC can also commission an entirely new, yet-to-be-announced drama series.”
Never heard of Amazon Prime Instant Video? You’re not alone. It is being launched today, with this most serendipitous news. From the horse’s mouth:
Amazon has announced that it is combining two of the most popular subscription services in the UK, Amazon Prime and LOVEFiLM, to become Prime Instant Video from Wednesday (26th February). Amazon Prime offers members unlimited One-Day Delivery on over 7 million items and access to 500,000 Kindle books to borrow. LOVEFiLM Instant includes unlimited streaming of more than 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes. When the two programmes combine, Prime will be offered at the low price of £79 a year – a 35% savings for all the benefits of the two previously separate services. As a special offer customers can lock in a full year of Prime at £49 until 26 February. Current Prime members can enjoy unlimited streaming at their current price until their renewal date. Customers who are not already members can start a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime by visiting http://www.amazon.co.uk/prime.
Excited, much? Stay tuned for updates. @TVClaw
TVClaw 