Ken Stott stars as the battle-hardened detective solving Edinburgh's grisly crimes.
The series is based on the Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin. Stott is joined
by Claire Price as Rebus’ sidekick, DS Siobhan Clarke, and Jennifer Black as his
boss Chief Super Gill Templar.
The first season of Rebus featured John Hannah as the eponymous detective and was
jointly produced by Scottish Television and Hannah's own production company, Clerkenwell
Films. Rankin was said to feel that Hannah was miscast in the role. The fourth episode
was postponed in light of the subject matter and the events of 11 September 2001,
and finally surfaced for the launch of the ITV3 channel some three years later. By
this time, Hannah had decided to move on and the show was put on hold pending a search
for a new star.
New feature-length episodes, now featuring an all-new cast and with Ken Stott in
the lead role, were filmed in 2005. The show was cancelled in February 2008, following
an announcement by Stott that he would not make any further episodes.
There are 14 episodes in all split over four series:
Black and Blue - John Rebus untangles the various strands of the interwoven web of
criminal intrigues. A serial killer of young women of the past, known as 'The Preacher'
appears to have a copycat murderer dubbed 'The Disciple'.
The Hanging Garden - Rebus is investigating a suspected war criminal. Rebus helps
a traumatised Bosnian prostitute and tries to intercede in a territory war between
upstart gangster Tommy Telford and 'Big Ger' Cafferty's established gang.
Dead Souls - Rebus is confronted with baffling questions of pedophiles, child abuse,
missing persons, a former sweetheart, fire bombs, mobs, a gay cross-dresser, and
all amid the personal loss of an excellent friend and co-officer.
Mortal Causes - Set during the Edinburgh Festival, a brutally executed corpse being
discovered in Mary King's Close, an ancient subterranean street. The body has a tattoo
identified with "Sword and Shield", a Scottish Nationalist group
The Falls - A student vanishes in Edinburgh, and her wealthy family of bankers ensure
Detective Inspector John Rebus is under pressure to find her. A carved wooden doll
in a coffin found near her East Lothian home leads Rebus to an Internet role-playing
game that she was involved in.
Fleshmarket Close - Rebus has no desk to work from, as a hint from his superiors
that he should consider retirement, but he and his protegee Siobhan Clarke are still
investigating some seemingly unconnected cases. The sister of a dead rape victim
is missing; stolen medical skeletons turn up embedded in a concrete floor
The Black Book - When prostitute Caroline Gregg is found dead at local landmark The
Five Sisters, Detective Inspector John Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke are among the
first at the scene.
A Question of Blood - Detective Inspector John Rebus and his sidekick DS Siobhan
Clarke are called to investigate a shooting at a local college. At the scene, the
spattered blood and bullet holes that litter the room tell a tale of a frantic shooting
Strip Jack - In Strip Jack, Rebus finds himself in the middle of a double murder
inquiry after two women are found dead, having been killed the same way.
Let It Bleed - Rebus is called to an investment bank after a man shoots himself in
front of the bank’s owner. In his wallet the dead man has a photo of a young child
along with the words Alto Chicampa.
Resurrection Men - Detective Inspector John Rebus is thrown off a murder inquiry,
just days after the brutal death of an Edinburgh art dealer, for throwing a cup of
tea at DCS Gill Templer
The First Stone - The naked bodies of the moderator-elect of the Church of Scotland
and the wife of a scrap merchant are found, with their throats cut, in a car parked
in an area used by lovers.
The Naming of the Dead - An unidentified body is found at the Macintosh House Hotel,
venue for the World Trade Summit. Later, the body of a Scottish Executive minister
is found beneath Edinburgh Castle.
Knots and Crosses - A murder trial is abandoned when Rebus is accused of obtaining
a wrongful confession by coercion, leaving him facing an internal investigation and
the wrath of the victim's father.
