Here's how to watch Rebus online, from anywhere – all episodes available now (2024)

How does the new series differ from your novels?

In the new incarnation there is a fascinating focus on Rebus and his brother. There were characters and situations in the books that, in retrospect, I felt like I didn't do enough with them. Rebus' brother was a really interesting character in the books and at one point I just let him go and he never came back. During our various conversations at the beginning, [writer] Greg Burke focused on the almost-blood brothers thing, or the Jekyll & Hyde thing, where you can have two brothers who are close, who love each other, but can potentially destroy each other. I just thought that was a really interesting path that Greg chose for the series. He takes us into the Jekyll & Hyde nature of Edinburgh.

Why is Gregory the perfect person to adapt your novels for the screen?

I've known Greg for years. I am a huge fan of his work on stage and screen. When he was persuaded to take on the task – and it took a bit of persuasion because he had a lot on his plate at the time – I was thrilled. He comes from the same area as me. We grew up four miles apart, which is where Rebus is from. We never knew each other back then, but his very first play was called “Gagarin Way.” Gagarin Way is a real street in a small village called Lumphinnans that I walked through every day on the way to school. When I saw the phrase “Gagarin Way,” I thought, “Oh my God, this guy is obviously from the same part of the world as me,” so I looked him up.

Have you found that you have a lot in common?

Absolutely. We have the same working-class roots, we have the same sense of Fife being a very close-knit place, a very tribal place, a place with a lot of pride, a lot of industry, a lot of coal mining – most of my family came from coalfields. But that industry went under and a lot of the pride disappeared and people felt neglected. So Rebus and his brother have all of that in their DNA and I think a lot of that comes through in the series. His brother still lives in Fife and is not as well off as Rebus. He lives in a pretty run-down part of Fife, but he's trying to make a better life for himself and make a living as best he can. And there's Rebus, who makes a pretty good salary as a detective. We put him on a street where he can actually walk out his front door and see Edinburgh Castle, which is a bit cheating. That's not where he's in the books! But if he looks to the left in the TV version, he can see the castle. So we get a lot of nice opening shots.

Are you happy with Gregory's adaptation?

Very. I think long-term fans will be in for a shock seeing young Rebus. Richard Rankin isn't in the 70s, 60s or 50s, so they get the fairly macho Rebus from the early books, but set in the present day. We get to feel the strength of Rebus as a rather zealous policeman, but in comparison to current issues, current politics and current problems of people. At its best, a crime novel is a political novel in that it deals with the reasons for crime. Most of the time it's because people are stuck in a dead end. They see no legal way out and their lives collapse around them. So they turn to drugs and alcohol and it leads them to very dark places. I think Gregory was interested in addressing some of these issues and it works really well.

What other topics does Gregor cover in Rebus?

His writings are characterized by great richness and complexity. He is also fascinated by the male ego. He's really interested in what normative masculinity does to men, how it twists them, and how it can cause them to do terrible things. That's a theme that I think runs through a lot of his work: this idea of ​​very strong macho men and that macho character isn't always good for them – in fact, it's never good for them. This is evident in the relationship between Rebus and his brother. When we first meet them in episode 1, they are fighting in the living room. This says a lot not only about your relationship, but also about your background.

What do you think Richard Rankin adds to the title role?

Oh, he's great. I mean, you can't take your eyes off him. He is incredibly charismatic on screen. You are absolutely captivated by him. He's a nice guy when you get to know him, but he completely embodies the character. Rebus is attractive to women and attractive to men – you get all of that with Richard. Men will love watching him and women will love watching him. He just throws himself into it.

Why do you think the Rebus novels have been so well received around the world?

The author may be the last person to know the answer to this question! I think Rebus is a compelling and complex character. He is charismatic, unlike his creator! But we also watch him age more or less in real time. So if you're a fan of the series, the Rebus you're reading about now is not the Rebus you read about 10 or 20 years ago. In the books we read that he retired from the age of 40 because he was not feeling well and is now 70 years old. So it's a completely different world he lives in now. He is no longer a police officer on duty. He's just a guy who wants to feel useful and feel like he still has some skills as a detective, if only the world would allow him to use those skills. The world around him has changed and he has become a museum piece.

How does Rebus develop over the course of this series?

Even though he's a big macho cop, he realizes that doesn't mean he can operate in the world as well as he could if he were less so. That's why he's surrounded by younger, more sensitive, more liberal, college-educated police officers. His way of doing things is different and doesn't always work. It's not always the best course of action. So over the course of the six episodes he learned a lot.

How would you summarize this drama?

It has really good storytelling and great acting. It is also very physical work. A lot of crime stories on TV these days involve forensics, the crime scene, or whatever. This is really about what being a police officer does to you. Does it make you rude? Does this mean you live an uglier life because of your work? As a police officer you are very careful about the people around you and about relationships. You constantly distrust people or think they want to harm you, overpower you, or harm you. So in a way it's reminiscent of the kind of classic macho crime stories that many of us grew up with. But at the same time it has all the modernity you could wish for.