The BBC Press Centre has released the media pack for Ripper Street in preparation for the upcoming airing the end of this December.  Here is the interview by Matthew Macfadyen:

Matthew Macfadyen plays Inspector Edmund Reid

Tell us something about the character you play in Ripper Street

Reid is a very dedicated, forward thinking policeman. What I find interesting about him is that there’s nothing jaded or on the back foot about him. I wanted to get away from the sort of classic, seen it all, done it all copper and he’s definitely not that. He’s quite progressive and interested in technology and the innovations of the age, which were enormous, especially in Victorian times. So he’s an interesting character. He’s got quite a lot of anger and he has a fairly dark past. He has made a terrible mistake and that sort of haunts him. So, there’s a lot to play with. It’s good fun.