Latest news with #Rebus
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Dept. Q Review: Is the new Netflix crime drama set in Edinburgh worth watching?
Matthew Goode stars in new Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. | Justin Downing/Netflix There's a new crimefighter on the streets of Auld Reekie in a hotly-anticipated new Netflix series - and we've seen the first two episodes. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh must have a decent claim to the title of the British televisual murder capital - with corpses cropping up at an alarming rate in a string of small screen adaptations, including Ian Rankin's Rebus, Kate Atkinson's Case Studies and Irvine Welsh's Crime. Now the body count is set to rise again, thanks to new nine-part Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. It offers a fresh take on Jussi Adler-Olsen's acclaimed series of novels, already turned into a Danish film franchise, with the action transposed from Copenhagen to the streets of Scotland's Capital. It's not a tough leap to make given the shared ground covered by the Scandi Noir and Tartan Noir writing genres. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Our new rogue policeman-with-issues (is there any other kind?) is DCI Carl Morcjk, played by Matthew Goode. Goode is one of those actors you instantly recognise but struggle to remember exactly where from. The answer, depending on age and taste, is likely to either be prestige dramas The Crown and Downtown Abbey or superhero film Watchmen. He plays Morcjk with sweary, exasperated abandon; perpetually looking like he's just rolled out of bed after about 20 minutes sleep to deliver withering putdowns to Millenial underlings. The first episode, as is often the case with such series, is as overstuffed as an Edinburgh morgue. The huge number of characters requiring introduction and scene-setting marks to hit mean your full attention is demanded. Play with your phone for a couple of minutes and expect to be all at sea. Put simply, the premise is that DCI Morcjk is a brilliant but near-universally loathed detective who is put in charge of a new cold case unit after a traumantic incident at a crime scene leaves his partner paralysed and another officer dead. Morcjk himself barely escapes with his life, adding another layer to his previous misanthropic view of life. As he says to his psychologist (played by Kelly Macdonald, effortlessly elevating every scene she's in): 'I had problems with human beings long before I got shot in the face'. Meanwhile, we also meet a maverick prosecutor, played by Chloe Pirrie (Shell, An Inspector Calls), whose troubled professional and personal life appears to be putting her on a collision course with DCI Morcjk. Kelly Macdonald in Dept. Q. | Netflix The titular Dept. Q is the dusty basement office/toilet he's banished to by a budget-hungry boss (a magnificently mercenary Kate Dickie), complete with a stack of unsolved case files and a mysterious Syrian assistant called Akram whom, you suspect, contains multitudes. So far, so Slow Horses, and it's hard to not compare it with the award-winning Apple TV+ series. Gary Oldman's filthy (in every sense of the word) Jackson Lamb makes DCI Morcjk look like Hercule Poirot when it comes to language and personal hygiene. What marks Dept. Q out is the excellent, largely Scottish, cast - with every actor from north of the border seemingly making an appearance. Indeed, if this one runs (and there are 10 books so far), it could fill part of the Scottish thespian employment gap left by the soon-to-end River City. Along with Kate Dickie and Kelly McDonald, there are big-hitters like Mark Bonnar and Shirley Henderson, alongside up-and-comers including Leah Byrne and at least two members of the Still Game gang. Of course Edinburgh itself has a starring role too, and it's fun to pick off the locations used, from the High Court to the number 34 bus heading to Leith. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leah Byrne in Dept. Q. | Jamie Simpson/Netflix It's a tricksy and intricate opening episode which pleasingly pulls the rug from under your feet with a wicked twist. The second instalment ventures further into Morcjk's first investigation, adding depth to the main protagonists and allowing subsidiary characters more room to breathe (Henderson in particular shines) - while a cliffhanger means that it'd be a crime not to click the 'next episode' button.
Time Out
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
‘Dept. Q' locations: the surprising Edinburgh filming spots behind Netflix's new Celtic noir
We know what you're thinking: what's remotely surprising about filming a show set in Edinburgh in Edinburgh? Except, it's so rarely done as to make Netflix's new crime thriller Dept. Q a genuine standout. Most shows and films from Trainspotting to Rebus have used Glasgow as a stand in for the capital. The handiwork of The Queen's Gambit creator Scott Frank (Logan, Out of Sight), Dept Q showcases the Scottish capital is all its Georgian elegance and urban grittiness – as well as taking a tour of the countryside outside the city and further flung corners of the country. 'We filmed in something like 13 of the city's 17 council wards,' says supervising location manager Hugh Gourlay. 'There's such a variance in the architecture in Edinburgh: you've got the New Town, the medieval parts, the narrow closes, the wide streets, and the high-rise flats of parts of the city that that are not often seen.' The location manager takes us on a tour of Dept Q.'s Edinburgh. What is Dept. Q about? Adapted from the Nordic noir books of Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen and transplanted from Denmark to Edinburgh, Dept. Q does for the police force what Slow Horses does for MI5. It takes its name from a small group of misfit cops under the leadership of cranky, traumatised detective Carl Morck (Downton Abbey 's Matthew Goode) who are assigned to investigate cold cases in the city. One of the dusty dossiers Morck finds on the pile is the disappearance of ambitious Edinburgh criminal barrister Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie). With his team of waifs and strays, and some canny tips from his old partner DS Hardy (Jamie Sives), now recovering from a council estate shooting, he's soon tracing Merritt's footsteps and shaking loose some of the city's darkest secrets. Who stars in the show? Alongside Goode and Pirrie as the detective and the missing woman he's searching for, Dept. Q boasts a stellar cast of Scottish actors. Trainspotting 's Kelly Macdonald plays Dr Rachel Irving, the police therapist trying to help the adversarial Morck overcome his demons, while Mark Bonnar (Guilt) and Kate Dickie (The Witch) play authority figures with whom the troubled cop is soon butting heads. Alexej Manvelov is Akram Salim, a Syrian cop forced to flee his homeland who joins Morck's team and proves to be a sleuth with razor-sharp instincts. Leah Byrne plays Rose, a struggling cadet who gets the chance to show her skills on the team. The opening shooting was filmed in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh Dept. Q opens with a burst of violence as Morck and Hardy face an ambush in Wester Hailes' gritty housing estates. 'It's a less refined part of Edinburgh,' says Gourlay. 'We go from that – bang – and straight into the city's Georgian legal world.' Edinburgh City Chambers were filmed on The Royal Mile Filming in Edinburgh comes with challenges – cost, tourists, the Fringe Festival and Hogmanay – that have often made Glasgow a more practical stand-in. But Dept. Q bucked that trend by embracing the city – even its bustingly central thoroughfare, The Royal Mile. 'We filmed outside the Supreme Court in Parliament Square,' remembers Gourlay, 'and outside the City Chambers, where Mark Bonnar exits the building. It had to be done at the weekend, which bring its own problems in terms of the crowds on The Royal Mile, but it worked out okay.' The courtroom scenes were filmed at The Signet Library, Edinburgh The courtroom itself, where Merritt Lingard prosecutes criminal cases and makes some powerful enemies, was filmed in The Signet Library, a wedding and party venue in Edinburgh's Old Town. The police station was filmed at FirstStage Studios, Leith The police station and Department Q, Morck's grimy HQ, were filmed on soundstages in Leith – as was another key location that we'll avoid mentioning for spoiler reasons. (Suffice to say, it's even more inhospitable than the dusty basement.) 'Our designer is very talented,' says Gourlay. 'I loved the grittiness, the '60s vibe and the brutalist architecture.' Exteriors were filmed in a '60s building below Edinburgh Castle. 'It's a CodeBase that they augmented digitally.' Merritt's house is in Dirleton in East Lothian A few early glimpses of Merritt's home reveal an edifice as foreboding as the lawyer herself. The location was an old military facility outside the city. 'It's an old World War II radar station that a farmer had renovated and then sold, and it had suffered flooding damage,' says Gourlay. 'We ended up painting it to give it a more austere flavour. It has that feeling of Merritt's coldness.' The ferry journey was filmed in Caithness, Scotland The mystery of Merritt's disappearance hangs on a fateful ferry journey to an unspecified island with her neurodiverse brother. Dept Q shows both that journey and Morck and Salim's investigation aboard the vessel. 'The ferry [we used] runs from just near John o'Groats up to Orkney,' says Gourlay. 'We chartered the ferry for a couple of days in May 2024.' Dr Irving's office was filmed in New Town, Edinburgh Kelly Macdonald's therapist has some thorny meetings with Morck, with the cop eventually storming out of a session. The exterior shots were filmed on Melville Street in New Town. 'You can see Karl crossing that wide street with St Mary's Cathedral in the background,' says Gourlay. 'The actual office was in the studio.' The pub scenes were filmed in Staggs – aka The Volunteer Arms – in Musselburgh Dept. Q features two key pub scenes: one at Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby Bar, where Morck intercepts Bonnar's senior lawyer Stephen Burns while he's celebrating a successful case; the other, on the island where Merritt's dad lives. 'We actually filmed both pubs in the same place,' says Gourlay. 'We found a pub in Musselburgh with an old, traditional front bar and a more modern back bar, so we were able to combine the two in one place.' The Christian Centre was filmed at Mortonhall Crematorium Looking for clues, Morck tracks down the now-retired detective who worked on the original Merritt Lingard investigation to a Christian centre in the city. The real location? Mortonhall Crematorium, a '60s building designed by Scottish architect Basil Spence. 'It was initially written as being on the Royal Mile but it wasn't practical,' recalls Gourlay. 'It's got fantastic stained glass windows and a really interesting look. It was such a unique location.' Merritt's hotel rendezvous was filmed at DoubleTree hotel, Queensferry Crossing The investigation also leads to a hotel on the Firth of Forth. Here, Merritt had a rendezvous with a crime reporter who warned her that she'd made dangerous enemies. The hotel used by the show is the DoubleTree, a Hilton in Queensferry overlooking the Forth bridges. Another Edinburgh hotel, the nearby Dakota, was used for an awkward encounter between Morck and his therapist, Dr Irving. Egley House care residence was shot at Vogrie House, Pathhead Morck's investigations lead to a care facility where Merritt's brother was sent to live after her disappearance. The real venue is 'an old mansion house that's now owned by Midlothian Council,' says the location manager. 'We made it look like a clinic, institutional but richer than it is. We filmed the hospital where DS Hardy is being treated there too.' The climbing accident was filmed at Edinburgh International Climbing Arena This world-class climbing centre just to the west of the city hosts a key death scene in the show. 'It's an old quarry that was converted into a climbing centre with a roof,' explains Gourlay. 'In the early versions of the script, it was meant to be a climbing centre in the Highlands, but we moved it closer to Edinburgh.' When is Dept. Q streaming? All nine episodes are streaming on Netflix now. . .
Scotsman
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Dept. Q review: Edinburgh's murder rate increases again as Matthew Goode's rogue detective takes on Capital crime in Netflix drama
Matthew Goode stars in new Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. | Justin Downing/Netflix There's a new crimefighter on the streets of Auld Reekie in a hotly-anticipated new Netflix series - and we've seen the first two episodes. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh must have a decent claim to the title of the British televisual murder capital - with corpses cropping up at an alarming rate in a string of small screen adaptations, including Ian Rankin's Rebus, Kate Atkinson's Case Studies and Irvine Welsh's Crime. Now the body count is set to rise again, thanks to new nine-part Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. It offers a fresh take on Jussi Adler-Olsen's acclaimed series of novels, already turned into a Danish film franchise, with the action transposed from Copenhagen to the streets of Scotland's Capital. It's not a tough leap to make given the shared ground covered by the Scandi Noir and Tartan Noir writing genres. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Our new rogue policeman-with-issues (is there any other kind?) is DCI Carl Morcjk, played by Matthew Goode. Goode is one of those actors you instantly recognise but struggle to remember exactly where from. The answer, depending on age and taste, is likely to either be prestige dramas The Crown and Downtown Abbey or superhero film Watchmen. He plays Morcjk with sweary, exasperated abandon; perpetually looking like he's just rolled out of bed after about 20 minutes sleep to deliver withering putdowns to Millenial underlings. The first episode, as is often the case with such series, is as overstuffed as an Edinburgh morgue. The huge number of characters requiring introduction and scene-setting marks to hit mean your full attention is demanded. Play with your phone for a couple of minutes and expect to be all at sea. Put simply, the premise is that DCI Morcjk is a brilliant but near-universally loathed detective who is put in charge of a new cold case unit after a traumantic incident at a crime scene leaves his partner paralysed and another officer dead. Morcjk himself barely escapes with his life, adding another layer to his previous misanthropic view of life. As he says to his psychologist (played by Kelly Macdonald, effortlessly elevating every scene she's in): 'I had problems with human beings long before I got shot in the face'. Meanwhile, we also meet a maverick prosecutor, played by Chloe Pirrie (Shell, An Inspector Calls), whose troubled professional and personal life appears to be putting her on a collision course with DCI Morcjk. Kelly Macdonald in Dept. Q. | Netflix The titular Dept. Q is the dusty basement office/toilet he's banished to by a budget-hungry boss (a magnificently mercenary Kate Dickie), complete with a stack of unsolved case files and a mysterious Syrian assistant called Akram whom, you suspect, contains multitudes. So far, so Slow Horses, and it's hard to not compare it with the award-winning Apple TV+ series. Gary Oldman's filthy (in every sense of the word) Jackson Lamb makes DCI Morcjk look like Hercule Poirot when it comes to language and personal hygiene. What marks Dept. Q out is the excellent, largely Scottish, cast - with every actor from north of the border seemingly making an appearance. Indeed, if this one runs (and there are 10 books so far), it could fill part of the Scottish thespian employment gap left by the soon-to-end River City. Along with Kate Dickie and Kelly McDonald, there are big-hitters like Mark Bonnar and Shirley Henderson, alongside up-and-comers including Leah Byrne and at least two members of the Still Game gang. Of course Edinburgh itself has a starring role too, and it's fun to pick off the locations used, from the High Court to the number 34 bus heading to Leith. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leah Byrne in Dept. Q. | Jamie Simpson/Netflix It's a tricksy and intricate opening episode which pleasingly pulls the rug from under your feet with a wicked twist. The second instalment ventures further into Morcjk's first investigation, adding depth to the main protagonists and allowing subsidiary characters more room to breathe (Henderson in particular shines) - while a cliffhanger means that it'd be a crime not to click the 'next episode' button. Four stars
Edinburgh Live
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Outlander star's gritty detective drama set in Edinburgh lands on Netflix
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Outlander sensation Richard Rankin's acclaimed series, Rebus, has just landed on Netflix UK, marking the second screen adaptation of Sir Ian Rankin's celebrated Inspector Rebus novels. The beloved series kicked off in 1987 and continues to captivate readers with a whopping 25 stories to date. In the television adaptation, Outlander's very own Richard embodies the sleuth as he grapples with taking down an Edinburgh crime syndicate while juggling his personal demons. The programme was lauded by critics upon its debut, securing an impressive 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 critiques. Richard's portrayal earned him rave reviews, with The Spectator noting: "Richard Rankin is so perfectly believable in the role that you never tire of watching him and keep rooting for him even when he's being a complete and utter idiot." (Image: BBC) The New Statesman added its voice, remarking: "Part of what makes this Rebus so alluring is down to the beautifully concise manner in which the actor who plays him conveys his haphazard competence, his stoicism and feral endurance. He is so believable." Originally broadcast on BBC One, the series trails John Rebus as he navigates life post-divorce and a transforming work environment. This self-contained series spans six episodes, and Richard has previously shared his thoughts on stepping into such a legendary role. Chatting with Digital Spy, he expressed: "He's one of the, I suppose, most iconic Scottish detectives, and is still very much present in Ian Rankin's novels. He's got such a big fanbase. "So I think taking it on, I was probably aware that there'd be certain expectations and anticipation. "And they would have their own version of what they think the character should look like – which I think is good to be aware of." He elaborated: "To do the character as much justice as possible, I think you have to just acknowledge that, and park it, because you're not going to be able to give every version of everyone's expectations." The actor revealed investing significant time in researching the role, disclosing his engagement with a number of the Rebus novels. His aim was to reinterpret the character and stamp his mark on the role, highlighting that the series was "not a reboot or sequel". The Guardian lauded Richard as "the most irresistible incarnation yet", praising: "Richard Rankin's Rebus is physical, forceful and irresistible, his eyes twinkling by default yet capable of glazing over with regret or being suddenly clouded by crimson mist." Rebus is available to watch on Netflix
Daily Record
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Outlander star's gritty detective drama lands on Netflix with rare perfect score
Rebus is the second adaptation of Sir Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels. The collection began in 1987 and it is still going strong, with 25 tales in total. Fans of Outlander star Richard Rankin will be thrilled to learn that his hit series, Rebus, is now streaming on Netflix UK. The show marks the second on-screen adaptation of Sir Ian Rankin's renowned Inspector Rebus novels, which comprise 25 gripping tales that started captivating readers back in 1987. The series stars Richard as the titular detective navigating Edinburgh's underworld to dismantle an organized crime ring, while struggling with personal demons. Rebus received widespread critical acclaim upon its initial release, earning a rare perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews. Richard's portrayal of the character garnered high praise. The Spectator wrote: "Richard Rankin is so perfectly believable in the role that you never tire of watching him and keep rooting for him even when he's being a complete and utter idiot." The New Statesman added: "Part of what makes this Rebus so alluring is down to the beautifully concise manner in which the actor who plays him conveys his haphazard competence, his stoicism and feral endurance. He is so believable." Initially broadcast on BBC One, the show delves into John Rebus's life as he adjusts to life post-divorce and grapples with a rapidly shifting workplace landscape. Comprising six standalone episodes, Richard previously shared his thoughts on taking on the iconic character in an interview with Digital Spy: "He's one of the, I suppose, most iconic Scottish detectives, and is still very much present in Ian Rankin's novels. He's got such a big fanbase." Rankin acknowledged: "So I think taking it on, I was probably aware that there'd be certain expectations and anticipation." He added: "And they would have their own version of what they think the character should look like – which I think is good to be aware of." He elaborated: "To do the character as much justice as possible, I think you have to just acknowledge that, and park it, because you're not going to be able to give every version of everyone's expectations." To prepare for the role, the actor dedicated considerable time to research, which included delving into several Rebus novels. Rankin aimed to reimagine the character in his own unique way, especially since the series was "not a reboot or sequel". His portrayal garnered rave reviews, with The Guardian describing him as "the most irresistible incarnation yet", further adding: "Richard Rankin's Rebus is physical, forceful and irresistible, his eyes twinkling by default yet capable of glazing over with regret or being suddenly clouded by crimson mist."
