Ripper Street will be back for a third series with filming to begin in May. The show was saved due to Amazon Prime Instant Video (formerly LoveFilms VOD in the UK)
Head of Amazon Instant Video international content acquisition Jason Ropell said: "We're delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers but we can also confirm today that we will be making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama."
Initially the show will exclusively be shown on Amazon Prime Instant Video, but will be aired a few months later on BBC1.
The plan is "business as usual" for the third series, with the same cast, same eight episodes and no sanitisation of the sometimes grisly violence. Because of the influx of US money from Amazon, the show will be filmed in England as well as Ireland.
Writer Richard Warlow revealed he is hoping for more series beyond the third and said that the new series will move forward and begin in 1894 and look at the development of the railways. It will continue the Jack the Ripper theme with a story involving the infamous McNaughton memorandum, which named three suspects in the case.
He also said the new arrangement will allow for "more bells and whistles" as he will not be writing exclusively for a BBC terrestrial audience.
MacFadyen said he was "surprised" when the show was axed by the BBC as he "thought it had legs" and said he is "delighted" Amazon has stepped in.
Guardian
