: ''For information on the ''Rebus'' word and picture puzzle see

Rebus A rebus () is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...

.'' ''Rebus'' is a British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

detective drama

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

based on the ''

Inspector Rebus The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They are considered an important contrib ...

'' novels by the Scottish author

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a sch ...

. The series was produced by

STV Studios STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the STV Group plc. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, and with an office in London, England ...

for the ITV network, and four series were broadcast between 26 April 2000 and 7 December 2007. The first series starred John Hannah as DI John Rebus; and was co-produced by Hannah's own production company, Clerkenwell Films. After Hannah quit the series, the role of Rebus was re-cast, with

Ken Stott Kenneth Campbell Stott (born 19 October 1954) is a Scottish stage, television and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play '' Broken Glass'' at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed th ...

appearing as Rebus in three subsequent series, which were produced in-house by STV. The first series is very different in both format and style. Hannah's portrayal of Rankin's world-weary detective was questioned by many who knew the books, as he did not physically match their image of John Rebus; Hannah himself has said he felt forced into the role, having been executive producer, when his own choice for the role,

Peter Mullan Peter Mullan (; born 2 November 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role in Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' (1998), for which he won Best Actor Award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival, 2000's '' The Claim'' and all th ...

, was rejected by STV. However, his interpretation of the inspector has been viewed as deeper than the later productions, using narration to expand the viewers insight into the character's thoughts, or to reveal background information, which never occurs during Stott's tenure. The earlier stories also retained the darkness of the novels and were more faithful to the original storylines, while longer running times meant that each story could be less ruthless with Rankin's many asides and sub-plots. In February 2008, ITV announced that ''Rebus'' had been axed, amid reports that Stott had told producers he did not want to continue in the role. ITV indicated that "one-off specials are a possibility for the future." In April 2011, it was reported that the series could make a return to television, and a spokeswoman for STV confirmed a comeback was on the cards: "We fully intend to bring ''Rebus'' back in the future. There are no firm plans yet, but it will return." However, Rankin has since announced that he has purchased the rights to the TV series back, and that he does not intend to bring Rebus back in the present format, having criticised the shorter format of the final series.

Release

All three Stott series were released on DVD in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 2007. In Region 1,

Koch Vision Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

released the first series on DVD on 10 January 2006. Series two through four were later released by Acorn Media between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, Delta released the Hannah series in a four-disc box set.
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Cast

* John Hannah as John Rebus, DI John Rebus (Series 1) *

as DI John Rebus (Series 2–4) * Gayanne Potter as DS Siobhan Clarke (Series 1) * Claire Price as DS Siobhan Clarke (Series 2–4) *

Sara Stewart Sara Scott Griffith (born 28 June 1966) is a Scottish actress. She played Stella in '' Sugar Rush''. Early life Stewart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to American parents. After spending some time in the U.S., she trained at the Central Sch ...

as DCI Gill Templer (Series 1) *

Jennifer Black Jennifer Black is a Scottish actress notable for playing Stella Urquhart in the film '' Local Hero'' and DCS Gill Templer in the TV series ''Rebus''. She has also appeared in ''The Bill'', '' River City, Hi De Hi'' and ''Taggart''. After leavi ...

as DCI Gill Templer (Series 2–4) * Ron Donachie as DCS Jack Gunner (Series 3–4) *

Ewan Stewart Andrew Ewan Stewart (born 26 August 1957) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor. Early life Stewart was born in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila lives in Arbroath, Scotland. St ...

as DI Jack Morton (Series 1–4) * Jenny Ryan as WPC Mary Logan (Series 1) * Jason Houghton Traffic Warden (series 1)

Episode list

Series 1 (2000–2004)

The fourth and final episode was originally due for broadcast on 20 September 2001 but was indefinitely postponed following the terrorist attacks on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

on 11 September 2001 and didn't air until four years later during a re-run of the series on ITV3 and the subsequent repeats on

Alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, and STV2 (formerly STV Glasgow and

STV Edinburgh STV Edinburgh was a British local television channel based in Edinburgh which launched on 12 January 2015. It was owned and operated by STV Group plc in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University. The channel was closed on Sunday 23 April 2 ...

) having never been broadcast on ITV.

Series 2 (2006)

Series 3 (2006)

Series 4 (2007)

"The First Stone" is the first and only story to be featured throughout the series which is not based upon a full ''Rebus'' novel, rather a novella from a collection of short stories. "Knots and Crosses" was due to be broadcast on 19 October 2007, but was postponed for reasons unknown. It was eventually broadcast on 7 December 2007. It bears the name of a Rankin book, but does not share the plot.

References

External links

* * *
Ian Rankin
(Official website) {{Inspector Rebus 2000s British crime drama television series 2000s British mystery television series 2000s Scottish television series 2000 Scottish television series debuts 2007 Scottish television series endings British detective television series English-language television shows Films shot in Edinburgh ITV television dramas Scottish television shows Television series by Clerkenwell Films Television series by STV Studios Television shows based on British novels Television shows produced by Scottish Television Television shows set in Edinburgh Television shows set in Scotland