IGN has an article about the panel for Ripper Street as does the LA Times.
IGN had this to say from Matthew Macfadyen:
Though it is period, what interested the creators and the cast is that the characters would actually consider themselves, "quite modern," Macfadyen says.
Adding: "They would have felt incredibly cutting edge."
"I found Reid fascinating because he’s not a stock detective character, he's a modern and forward looking man rather than a jaded copper," Macfayden says.
LA Times had the following comment from Matthew:
The three main stars said that even though the premise is morbid, there was a lot of lightness on the set, due mainly to their great chemistry. Said Macfayden: "The blacker the subject, the more hilarity there was on set."
Today, Pasadena, California, the Winter TCA convention was held and Matthew Macfadyen attended along with the rest of the cast and crew of Ripper Street.