Latest news with #Rebus
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Outlander's Sam Heughan teases Jamie and Claire Fraser ‘loss' in season 8
The Outlander star suggested the couple faced fresh danger Outlander actor Sam Heughan has teased that his character Jamie Fraser and wife Claire (Caitríona Balfe) could be torn apart again in the eighth and final season of the hit Starz series. The 45-year-old Scottish star, who has a new film role, said the last outing would see his Highlander alter-ego as "more fragile having more to lose', after a teaser hinted at Jamie's death. He went on to address a possible separation between the two and said: 'Having lost Claire about 50 times, he knows what it is to lose her and he will do anything to stop that from happening. So yeah, it's been an amazing journey to go with them.' Each season of Outlander has seen the central couple thrown into peril and separated by various outside forces, but it looks like season eight could see even more of this. He went on to address the big season seven cliffhanger, which suggested their stillborn daughter Faith Fraser had miraculously survived thanks to a time travel intervention by Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon). Heughan hinted the song from season two, I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside, would function as "the jumping off point for season eight'. He went on to suggest the story would give answers as the series will "explore that the faith of it all perhaps". Moreover, Heughan said the events of season eight would be mind-blowing and their world is about to change very differently". Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, Heughan and his Outlander co-star Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin teased what else fans could expect from the final outing. The ending of the TV show has been of particular interest after the series surpassed the novels and takes a different path to the source material. Rebus star Rankin, 42, explained how it was "hard' because the show didn't finish adapting the books, with author Diana Gabaldon deep into writing the 10th and final novel. He said: 'And I think you know how do you tie up uh you know all of these stories and and make a satisfying ending?' Nonetheless, Rankin said the cast and crew wanted to deliver a strong final season, saying "we all wanted to come back and give something that felt satisfactory" for the fans. Season eight is also said to be 'bittersweet', a sentiment shard by executive producer Maril Davis. The Outlander panel comes after Starz shared a first-look teaser at season eight, featuring Jamie reading Frank Randall's (Tobias Menzies) book, which stated his death as the impending war finally hit. Claire looked shocked at her husband as he served up the big bombshell. Despite this, there are hopes that the show will finally give an explanation about Jamie's ghost, which was seen watching Claire in the series premiere over a decade ago.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Before Rebus, McWatters was Scotland's original detective
That is, until a brawl broke out at a gaming table. Amid the chaos, one sharp-eyed man in the shadows with carefully honed detective skills recognised Jacobs for who he truly was. The vital clue? His prosthetic finger made of hardened wax, of course. Soon Legate – or was it Jacobs? – was in custody, another criminal case cracked by a Scottish detective with dogged determination and knack for solving even the trickiest challenge. Kilmarnock-born US crime fighter, George S. McWatters (Image: The Project Gutenberg) It sounds like the kind of twist you'd find in a Rebus novel — Edinburgh's flawed detective whose knack for untangling webs of lies and last-minute revelations has crime fiction fans hooked. So popular is the latest television reboot of Ian Rankin's Edinburgh detective, now played by Outlander star Richard Rankin, that it's just been commissioned for a second series and been picked up by Netflix, opening the door to a new international army of fans. But the tale of The Gambler's Wax Finger didn't play out in the brooding dank closes of Edinburgh's Old Town. And it wasn't fiction. An illustration of a fraudster's capture, taken from Kilmarnock-born detective George McWatters' book (Image: The Project Gutenberg) Rather, this was almost 150 years ago, and the incident on board a Mississippi riverboat was just one of many detailed by Kilmarnock-born real-life detective George S. McWatters in a gripping memoir that kept readers on both sides of the Atlantic, at the time, engrossed. Long before the latest reinvention of Rebus, McWatters' tangled tales of how he brought Victorian criminals to justice was every bit as anticipated by readers as today's fans of Ian Rankin's gruff and rule-breaking DI. Meanwhile, his cases, drawn from his true experiences as a real-life detective in mid-19th century New York, show little has really changed down the years: money, greed and power motivated criminals then, just as they do now. Rebus and McWatters encountered the same drugs, guns, violence and human misery, while the Victorians memoir – clumsily titled Knots Untied: Or, Ways and By-Ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives – contains as many twists and turns as any modern detective thriller. Penned in 1871, by which time McWatters was in his late fifties, its dramatic retelling of cases read like fanciful crime fiction: there are fraudsters masquerading as spiritualists, big money forgery rings stretching across state lines, and deadly poisoners hiding in plain sight. Jail awaited many criminals captured by Kilmarnock-born detective George McWatters (Image: The Project Gutenberg) Yet despite being a bestseller of its times and McWatters described among New York journals as "the Literary Policeman', few today will have heard of the Scottish-born crime buster. Born in Kilmarnock in around 1814, his family moved to Northern Ireland where he became a mechanic. It was a short-lived career. McWatters, said to be 'full of the spirit of adventure', soon left for London, where he met and married his wife. His memoir tells how the bustling streets and the diverse population – rich and well-heeled on one hand, desperately hard-up on the other – offered an education in human behaviour that laid the foundations for his future career as a New York detective. (Image: BBC) Richard Rankin stars as Rebus.'London is a world-school in itself,' he wrote. 'What a man cannot learn there of arts, sciences, and literature and of all the various phases of humanity, from the worse or lower than the barbarian, up to the highest type … he would be unable to learn in any other spot of Earth.' Before long though, he'd be tempted by the 'Land of Promise' and head for a new life on the other side of the Atlantic. In Philadelphia, he studied law only for his boss to give him the task of collecting debts – too much for his 'soft heart'. Having found himself required to deceive his way into a poor shoemaker's home to seize his only furniture – his bed – as payment for outstanding debts, he decided his future lay elsewhere. It set him on course to become one of America's early detectives, cracking crime in an era just as policing was finding its feet, led by another Scot, Glasgow-born Allan Pinkerton and his detective agency. Read more by Sandra Dick: They were also days when detectives worked by instinct, grit, and bravado, often stepping into roles that blurred the lines between enforcer and actor, all of it documented in fine detail in a memoir which had readers gripped. The cases McWatters encountered dealt with timeless topics that fascinated and intrigued readers then and still do now. One involved snaring a deceptive so-called spiritualist who claimed superpowers to summon the dead. The schemer targeted bereaved families, charging for supposed messages from deceased loved ones. Spiritualists and mediums who preyed on vulnerable victims appear in McWatters' book of crimes (Image: The Project Gutenberg) When the spiritualist encountered a timid young woman, fearful that her lack of personal wealth and the age gap between her and her rich husband-to-be might lead to to the marriage being short-lived, she offered to perform an elaborate charm to secure his affection forever. If the worried young woman could gather precious items – an expensive watch, gold cutlery and other expensive personal items – place them in a box and deliver them to her, then she could bewitch the marriage and ensure it would be forever happy. The charmed box and valuables would be returned to the anxious bride-to-be on condition that it be opened only when the mystic Mrs Seymour – the spiritualist – was many miles away. Naturally, once opened, it was found to contain not the precious items but stones and bits of junk. McWatters had doubts he would ever be able to track down the cunning Mrs Seymour. And yet, working undercover and using patient surveillance, he traced her from Brooklyn to Boston, where she was found continuing her cruel scams among upper‑class clients. Posing as a grieving husband, McWatters infiltrated her parlour and allowed her to proceed with her attempt at yet another scam. Read more by Sandra Dick Having watched her make contact with the spirit of his 'dead' wife – knowing she was perfectly healthy at home, looking after their family – McWatters revealed his identity. With the stolen goods recovered, he mused at how susceptible the well-to-do often were to sometimes ludicrous cons and scams aimed at depriving them of their wealth. '(I) came to a knowledge of the great extent to which mediums are consulted by people of the first classes; and was astonished to find how readily they fall through the superstitious element in their composition, victims to the sorcerer's arts,' he wrote. Rebus creator, Ian Rankin But McWatters didn't only unmask con artists and fraudsters. His book notes his various acts of selfless heroism: protecting the vulnerable public from harm was just another part of the police officer's role. One March day in 1861, he 'immersed" himself in the Hudson River to rescue a six-year-old boy who had fallen off the dock. Five weeks later, he was back, aiding in the rescue of another boy from a watery grave, and another time he plucked a grown man at risk of drowning, to safety. An illustration from George McWatters' memoirs showing the rescue of a drowning woman (Image: The Project Gutenberg) And when not cracking crime or carrying out daring rescues, readers learned of his acts of immense generosity: he helped provide aid for suffering and starving people of Kansas, supported injured soldiers and was outspoken against slavery. But it was his detective skills that gripped readers on both sides of the Atlantic: there was the case of a gang of forgers who passed counterfeit bank drafts, a triple murderer caught only after McWatters risked his own life to disarm him, bogus lottery scams and stolen diamonds. His knack for observation meant each account is packed with tension, high stakes and larger than life characters. While, unusual for the time, his exploits were brought to life in his book by illustrations showing him in full crime-fighting mode - including one showing him fighting off would-be robbers by brandishing his silver spectacle case like a knife. Read more: Although Knots Untied sold well in its day, McWatters' name was overshadowed by the likes of Pinkerton, whose famous detective agency spanned the country and snared some of the most famous criminal gangsters of the day, such as Jesse James. McWatters eventually faded into obscurity, and his crime tales were overtaken by the rise of fictional detectives such as Sherlock Holmes. He died in 1886 of pneumonia, aged 74. An obituary in the New York Times sang his praises as Chief of the Lost Children's Bureau, and one of a handful of policemen who defended the newspaper's offices during draft riots, sustaining wounds in the process. He was, it noted, a key figure who supported aid for destitute ex-Union soldiers, their widows and orphans. An illustration from George McWatters' book shows him fighting off would-be robbers using a spectacle case (Image: The Project Gutenberg) The Rebus of his day, his book, which can be read for free on The Gutenberg Project website, shares a common denominator with the crime books and characters of today – readers love a crime mystery. 'Detective stories speak to readers' hearts and minds,' says Jess Faraday, author of the award-winning Ira Adler historical mysteries and a spokesperson for the Crime Writers Association. 'We love to challenge ourselves to find the clues and see if we can beat the sleuth to the solution. Richard Rankin stars in the latest reboot of Edinburgh detective, Rebus (Image: free) 'And seeing justice served helps us to bring order to a sometimes chaotic world.' From McWatters' crime tales of 1871 to new versions of Rebus today some might wonder if there are any crime stories left to tell? 'It's true that the types of crime are finite, and most mysteries focus on only one — murder,' she adds. 'At the same time, within these limitations, the combinations of means, motive, opportunity, and character are limitless.'
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix viewers rush to watch 'compelling' reboot of classic Scottish crime series
The recent reboot of the famous Rebus has been added to Netflix as viewers are just discovering the world of Detective Inspector John Rebus and they can't get enough A modern retelling of a legendary Scottish crime drama has quickly become a hit on Netflix, with viewers calling it "absorbing" and "compelling" as it climbs the streaming platform's top TV show charts. The revamped Rebus series originally premiered on the BBC last year and is inspired by Ian Rankin's long-running Inspector Rebus novels. The first book, Knots and Crosses, hit shelves in 1987 launching a franchise that has since grown to include 24 titles. With most of the stories set in Edinburgh, the series follows the investigations of the complex and gritty Detective Inspector John Rebus and has made a massive impact on the British crime fiction scene - accounting for around 10% of the UK's crime novel sales and consistently selling over 500,000 copies per release. Back in 2000 Rebus was first adapted for television, with John Hannah taking on the title role. The show continued until 2007, with Ken Stott leading the cast in later seasons. The new version introduces Richard Rankin, known for his roles in Outlander and Burnistoun, as a younger Rebus bringing a fresh energy to the character while maintaining the dark tone that fans love. The synopsis reads: "The story follows Detective John Rebus as he deals with an infamous Edinburgh gangster, at the same time dealing with the aftermath of his divorce and a changing workplace." Critics were quick to praise the reboot, branding it as "terrific" and describing Rankin's performance as "alluring." Similar fans have praised the reboot, with many taking to Rotten Tomatoes to review the series, with Rebus having an impressive 100% rating on the review site. One fan wrote: "This is a very good series. Richard Raskin is much different from Ken Stott, but he's great in the role. I also liked Rebus' partner and ex-wife, too. This series reminded me of Crime, starring Dougray Scott." Another viewer simply stated: "Very good series with a likable lead." While one viewer praised the casting, saying it had him hooked, as they said: "The casting was great. Rankin is a sympathetic and handsome lead. I like the fact that none of the main characters are without fault and all have their vices. I was sucked into the story and watched the whole season over a number of days." Speaking to the BBC about his role as Rebus, Raskin said: "Rebus is an iconic character in Scottish literature and television. It already has such a huge following. That aside, it was within the first ten pages of episode one that had me absolutely hooked." "I could tell Greggory Burke [the show's screenwriter] was doing something new and exciting with this. It felt real, it felt dark, and it felt charged." He added that the series was a "dark, cinematic and gritty character drama." The show's debut episode drew an impressive 6.3 million viewers across all BBC platforms and later went on to win three RTS Scotland Awards. Now that the series has landed on Netflix, a new wave of viewers are discovering (or rediscovering) the world of Rebus. Fans will be pleased to hear that a second season has already been confirmed. According to the BBC, the upcoming storyline will see the detective "uncover the links between the violent world of the Edinburgh drug trade and the city's law and finance sectors."
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Netflix fans stunned by 'sensational' TV adaptation of beloved crime novels - praising 'tremendous twists and turns'
Netflix fans have been left stunned by a 'sensational' TV adaptation of a set of beloved crime novels, praising its 'tremendous twists and turns'. Rebus, based on the book series of the same name by Ian Rankin, has taken the streamer by storm since it was made available on the platform in May. The Scottish crime programme, which premiered on BBC One in May last year, follows Outlander's Richard Rankin as a reimagined younger version of the titular detective. The six episodes see John Rebus pursue a prolific Edinburgh gangster across Scotland, while grappling with both workplace politics and a messy divorce at home. It follows a previous TV adaptation of the Rebus books which ran for four series from 2000 to 2007, starring John Hannah as the lead, then later Ken Stott. The reboot is currently in Netflix's list of its top ten most-watched programmes - and viewers and critics alike have praised it online. The Scottish crime programme (pictured), which premiered on BBC One in May last year, follows Outlander's Richard Rankin as a reimagined younger version of the titular detective Fans wrote: 'Loved both previous Rebus series. This is a very, very good incarnation. Tremendous twist at the end. Very well put together', 'A very good watch, love the twists and turns. Can't wait for series two, series one was so good, don't want it to end', 'Absolutely incredible first series, hope they do series two and more', 'Cast were fantastic, storyline gripping, ended with so many possibilities for a second series', 'Just binge watched the first six episodes of Rebus, sensational series, loved the first season, hope there's a second one coming', 'I have not watched the previous adaptation nor read the books. But this is well worth your time, also for bingeing in one sitting.' Any fans unaware of more recent developments will be delighted to hear the show has in fact now been recommissioned for a second series. It comes after the first episode of the programme pulled in a whopping 6.3million viewers. Any fans unaware of more recent developments will be delighted to hear the show has in fact now been recommissioned for a second series BBC Scotland's head of commissioning Louise Thornton said: 'We were blown away with the audience response to the new-look Rebus first time round so bringing it back for a second series was always a priority. 'The combination of brilliant storytelling, powerful performances and top-class production values will make this new series must-see television. 'This commission is part of our recently announced strategy to bring more high-impact scripted content from Scotland, and we're confident audiences will enjoy this next series as much as they did the first.' The programme's star Richard had previously been hopefully a series two was incoming when speaking to the BBC. He said: 'I hope people take out of it what we put in. The entire ensemble of cast and crew are immensely talented individuals who all brought their A-game to the series. 'I think that really shows. I hope audiences will develop an appetite for more so that we can bring another series their way further down the line. 'I really hope that people will fall in love with Rebus in the same way that we have.'
The Herald Scotland
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Tartan Noir is thriving but are we already starting to get weary?
First up, BBC Scotland's award-winning re-boot of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels will return for a second series. Louise Thornton, the broadcaster's head of commissioning, describes herself as being 'blown away' by the audience response to season one and is promising to ensure the new series is 'must-see television'. Beyond that, the author himself is playing coy about what the new six-parter will bring us. 'Only screenwriter Gregory Burke knows what happens next,' says Sir Ian. Aye, right. Either way, it's good news. Before we see Rebus 2.0, however, we can enjoy the return of Karen Pirie, creation of Sir Ian's fellow Fifer, Val McDermid. It has just returned to STV and sees the plucky Detective Inspector handed a cold case – the kidnapping in 1984 of oil heiress Catriona Grant and her two-year-old son, Adam, from outside a Fife chippie. Again, good news. As played by Lauren Lyle, Pirie is one of the most watchable TV detectives so hers is a welcome return. So too the Fife setting. Finally to Shetland. Filming on season 10 of the series began in April and the smart money says an autumn transmission is most likely, given the previous release dates. Ashley Jensen returns as DI Ruth Calder while among those joining the cast are two well-known Scottish actors – Clive Russell and Ellie Haddington, best known for her roles in Motherland and Guilt – and Samuel Anderson, who plays Mal in Motherland spin-off Amandaland. Read more from Barry Didcock: No Jimmy Perez, of course, Douglas Henshall having bailed after season seven. But fans of Ann Cleeves's original novels might like to know he is returning in literary form – though just not to [[Shetland]] itself. Cleeves's new novel The Killing Stones finds Jimmy living in Orkney where he becomes involved in the investigation into the death of his old friend Archie Stout, murdered on his native Westray using a Neolithic stone. It will be published on October 7. But not everything is rosy in Scotland's crime drama garden. Sticking with fictional detectives and ending on a less salutary note, John Niven's latest novel, The Fathers, features as a central character a TV writer and denizen of Glasgow's West End who made his pile creating and writing a long-running crime drama titled McCallister. It sees a hard-bitten Glasgow detective transplanted to the Highlands and functions as a sort of Taggart-meets-Local Hero hybrid. Niven's character, Dan, is pretty jaundiced about McCallister and wants to kill the series. Speaking to the author recently I asked him if Dan's feelings reflect his own in any way. Is Scottish TV crime drama moribund, boring, safe? Where, for example, are the adaptations of novels by Chris Brookmyre, Liam McIlvanney, Louise Welsh or Alan Parks? Given the number of great crime writers we have, does he think perhaps we are actually not getting the shows we deserve? 'It seems so, yeah,' he told me. 'Especially in Scotland where you get so many fabulous authors… There's so many brilliant writers in that space that you'd think the TV screen should be saturated with really brilliant, edgy noir crime stuff. But it's not the case.' He added: 'I wouldn't name names, but I work a lot in the screenwriting space and I've had two or three in recent years where a producer will option a book and hire me to write a pilot and it will go so far down the line and then it always gets spiked at the last minute. It doesn't happen. One begins to weary.' The path from page to screen leaves many edgier projects by the wayside, it seems. Money is an issue, but ultimately it's the viewers' loss. How long before we too begin to weary? Superbams He has helmed several superhero films, written two live-action Scooby Doo movies and created something called Lollipop Chainsaw, a 'hack-and-slash' video game – so it's fair to say you'll search James Gunn's filmography in vain for even a sniff of anything as avowedly political as Spike Lee, Ken Loach or Andrea Arnold might turn out. And yet through the unlikely medium of yet another Superman reboot, the American director has set the cat among the pigeons – or perhaps that should be the feral, anti-woke moggy among the doves. Interviewed recently about the new film, which stars relative unknowns David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Gunn said: 'Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country… but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.' James Gunn (right) on the set of Superman (Image: Warner Bros) Cue howls of derision from somewhere off to the right, who saw in his comments a criticism of recent migrant round-ups by US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 'We don't go to the movie theater [sic] to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology on to us,' said swivel-eyed MAGA loyalist Kellyanne Conway, who served in Donald Trump's chaotic first administration. Meanwhile Fox News has taken to calling the film 'Superwoke' while anchor Jesse Watters has joked that 'Superman is fighting for truth, justice and your preferred pronouns.' As an aside, we've already had a flavour of this on our side of the Pond, though in typically British fashion our superhero-as-political-emblem wears a blue duffle coat, a battered red sou'wester hat and eats marmalade sandwiches. Yup, Paddington. So can Superman fly above politics? The New York Times asked that very question, though the answer seems obvious by now. Not a chance. Instead, the paper wrote, Gunn's comments have had the effect of 'thrusting the summer popcorn movie into an Earthbound culture war.' Mind you, the film is absolutely killing it at the box office – it had hit £300 million by its second weekend – so the culture wars haven't hurt it financially. On the whole the reviews have been good too, though don't expect more of the same when Gunn-produced follow-up Supergirl hits the cinemas in 2026. Speaking about his casting of Australian actress Millie Alcock as Supergirl, he recalled a conversation between himself and fellow producer Peter Safran. 'He's like: 'Well, who would you see as Supergirl?' I said: 'You see the House Of The Dragon?' Who was that little blonde girl on that?'' Sounds like it's back to business as usual, then. Little blonde girl? The MAGA right will love it. And finally The Herald's theatre critic Neil Cooper runs his eye over the tangled history of John Buchan's fabulous adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps as he enjoys a new Pitlochry Festival Theatre production by director Ben Occhipinti. The 1915 novel was originally adapted for film by Hitchcock in 1935, his version was re-shot by Ralph Thomas in 1959 and Occhipinti's take on it uses Patrick Barlow's 2005 adaption, which turns it into a four-hander. With clowns. 'An irreverent hybrid,' is Neil's take. He also watched a revival of Paul Hendy's West End hit The Last Laugh at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, which pitches Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe into a dressing room together – what could possibly go wrong? Then it was to a very appropriate setting for Davie Carswell's stage version of Irvine Welsh's Porno, the 2002 sequel to Trainspotting – Leith Theatre in Edinburgh. Finally to music, where at Dunfermline's Alhambra [[Theatre]] Teddy Jamieson enjoyed a performance by the evergreen Lulu (though she was dressed in white and diamanté on this occasion). That soulful, rasping, rowdy voice with which she announced herself to the world as a young teenager with the single Shout back in 1964 remains intact,' is his verdict as she runs through a set featuring all the old favourites with sister Edwina on backing vocals.
