John Rebus
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Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the
Inspector Rebus The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin, Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Inspector#United Kingdom, Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They ...
series of
detective novels Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...
by the Scottish writer Sir Ian Rankin, ten of which have so far been televised as ''
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 (+ ...
''. The novels are mostly set in and around
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
. Rebus has been portrayed by John Hannah,
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 (play), Broken Glass'' at Royal National Thea ...
and Richard Rankin for television, with Ron Donachie playing the character for the BBC Radio dramatisations.


In the books

In a series of books and short stories by Ian Rankin, beginning with ''
Knots and Crosses ''Knots and Crosses'' (also written ''Knots & Crosses'') is a 1987 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the first of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was written while Rankin was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. In the introd ...
'' published in 1987 and ending with '' Exit Music'' in 2007, John Rebus is a detective in the Lothian and Borders Police force, stationed in Edinburgh. After the first book, he is promoted from Detective Sergeant to Detective Inspector. In novels published after his retirement at the end of ''Exit Music'', Rebus continues to work with the Edinburgh police, either as a civilian or again as a police officer, but only in a temporary capacity.


Backstory

''Knots and Crosses'' was originally written as a stand-alone, non-genre novel and presents the fullest portrait of Rebus as a literary character. He comes from Fife, where his parents are buried, and where his only sibling
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
still lives. His father made a living as a stage hypnotist and Michael is a success in the same profession. John is divorced from
Rhona Rhona is the name of: * Rhona Adair (1878–1961), British golf champion * Rhona Bennett (born 1976), American singer, actress and model * Rhona Brankin (born 1950), Labour Co-operative politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament * Rhona ...
and has a daughter, Samantha, who is nearly twelve. Rebus went from school into the army and after a difficult stint in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
at the beginning of
The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
, signed up for the SAS. There, he and another man were subjected to various kinds of torture in an attempt to see whether they would “break”. Rebus passed the test but, having had to abandon his companion, had a nervous breakdown himself. After recovering, he became a police detective. In ''Knots and Crosses'', he suffers from
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...
(unnamed), which is cured when his brother hypnotizes him. In subsequent novels, more about Rebus’s background is revealed. In the first few novels, Rebus likes jazz, but by the fourth one he admits to being partial to the Rolling Stones. From that point on, his favourite music is always folk and rock from his own and youth and that of the author. In '' Fleshmarket Close'', which deals with immigrant trafficking, Rebus recalls that his paternal grandfather was a Polish immigrant. In '' Dead Souls'', he recalls his school-leaving party in Cardenden,
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
(Rankin's own home town) and his ill-fated plans to get a job and settle down with his childhood sweetheart. Rebus lives in the flat he bought with his wife Rhona in the 1970s, on Arden Street in the Marchmont area. During his relationship with Patience Aitken he spends a lot of time at her flat and even rents his apartment out to students in '' The Black Book'', though he has to move back in with them when Patience kicks him out. In '' The Falls'', he has the flat rewired with an eye to selling it, but changes his mind. In ''
A Song for the Dark Times A Song for the Dark Times is the 23rd installment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. The phrase "dark times" was meant to refer to the era of Brexit, autocratic leaders, and so on, as of 2019, but the book was published in 202 ...
'', the garden flat in his own building has become vacant and he moves in as this will save him the difficult two-flight climb to his old flat. Starting with ''
Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976, by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first record after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit in December 1974. ...
'', Rebus drives an older
Saab 900 The Saab 900 is a mid-sized automobile produced by Swedish manufacturer Saab from 1978 until 1998 in two generations: the first from 1978 to 1994, and the second from 1994 to 1998. The first-generation car was based on the Saab 99 chassis, ...
. Before that, he had admired a Saab and wished he could afford one (in ''
Strip Jack ''Strip Jack'' is a 1992 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the fourth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It also exists as an audiobook, narrated by James MacPherson. The title refers to the popular card game " Strip Jack Naked". Plot A police ...
''). In some of the later novels, he talks to the Saab, thanking it for making long trips, and he is relieved in ''A Song for the Dark Times'' when it can be repaired. In '' Even Dogs in the Wild'', he acquires a dog, Brillo.


Age

As Rankin developed ''Knots and Crosses'' into a series of crime stories, he allowed Rebus’s life to continue as if he were living in real time. Thus, in ''Knots and Crosses'' (1987) his daughter Samantha is “nearly twelve” and in '' Tooth and Nail'' (1992) she is about sixteen. By the year 2000, Rankin was aware that Rebus was approaching 60, the age of compulsory retirement for police. Despite some indecision about Rebus’s actual age, Rankin settled on 1947 as the protagonist’s year of birth and 2007 as his year of retirement. More recently, since Rebus's retirement, Rankin has admitted that the character is no longer ageing in real time and that he imagines Rebus as being in his late sixties in 2020, with some disabilities but still physically as well as mentally capable. Although it is possible to summarize Rebus’s character and habits, he changes over the years. Early on, for example, he is ambitious, but as time goes by he sees that promotion would take him away from the hands-on investigative style he loves. To take another example, although his relationship with his daughter Samantha is a matter of rare phone calls for over a decade, they have more frequent visits after her daughter Carrie is born. In ''Dead Souls'', his reflexive bullying of paedophiles in earlier books is gradually replaced by the realization that some of them, at least, have suffered abuse themselves.


Character and habits

John Lanchester, in an article written originally for the London Review of Books in 2000, says of Rebus,
Stubbornness is Rebus's most deep-seated characteristic. All the various ways in which he could improve the quality of his life - which boil down essentially to his being less impossible - are somehow unthinkable. He stands in everybody else's way, but he stands in his own way too: difficult, determined, remorseless, honourable, honest, and proud of his lack of charm. He is a deeply Scottish self-image….
Melanie McGrath, in a review of ''Even Dogs in the Wild,'' takes a slightly different view,
… an intensely romanticised, self-dramatising lone wolf, a kind of urban cowboy driven to detection as a means of resolving his existential crisis. As Rebus himself puts it, if justice didn’t matter, “then neither did he”.
Rebus loves to make jokes at the expense of others, especially his superiors and his friends. At times he even examines his own parting words, judging whether they were clever enough. He spars verbally with
Siobhan Clarke This is a list of characters from the ''Inspector Rebus'' series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Ian Rankin. They are all fictional characters that have appeared in more than one novel in the series. A number of the characters appea ...
but also with ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty. Rebus's sense of honour is questionable and he will lie to a witness swearing that “this is just between the two of us”, with no intention of keeping pertinent information private. He treats the criminal Cafferty’s influence and knowledge as a resource in his investigations and will sometimes do a favour for him. In Cafferty’s mind (and the minds of many others), Rebus belongs to him, but in Rebus’s own mind he is always fighting Cafferty and trying to collect evidence of his crimes. Rebus is a heavy drinker and smoker, though always aware that this is bad for his health. He chooses to eat fried and/or fatty foods, knowing they are not good for him. His knowledge of Edinburgh bars and his appreciation of malt whiskies are encyclopaedic. Starting with '' Mortal Causes'', his favourite hangout and meeting-place is the
Oxford Bar The Oxford Bar is a public house situated on Young Street, in the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The pub is chiefly notable for having been featured in Sir Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series of novels. The Oxford Bar, or The Ox, is John Rebus ...
, and from ''Exit Music'' to '' Rather Be the Devil'', the ritual of going outside the bar to smoke is part of his routine. In ''Black and Blue'', with the help of his old friend Jack Morton he stops drinking and is able to continue abstaining through the next book, '' The Hanging Garden''. However, at the end of that novel Jack dies and Rebus resumes drinking. From one novel to another he may try to ration cigarettes, but he is not able to quit smoking entirely until he begins to suffer from
COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...
at the beginning of ''Rather Be the Devil'' — at that time he also begins to cut back on his drinking. Music is important to Rebus, though he does not play an instrument himself. He has an extensive collection of vinyl, augmented when his brother Michael dies and leaves him records from their youth ('' The Naming of the Dead''). It is not until ''Mortal Causes'', however, that his love of rock and folk from the 1960s and 70s is firmly established. In ''Black and Blue'', ''The Hanging Garden'', and ''Dead Souls'', Rebus’s stream of consciousness is sometimes presented as a series of song and album names, which both identify and dismiss his emotional reactions to a situation. Starting with '' Set in Darkness'', he plays a game with Siobhan Clarke of reciting song names and expecting her to identify them. Clarke gives him newer music to listen to, and forms opinions about his favourites, too. In ''A Song for the Dark Times'', she tells their friend Fox,
”John says he wants it put on his gravestone: ‘He listened to the B-sides.’”
Books are important to him, but his interest tends to be aspirational; he struggles with the sense that he might (or might not) have done better if he had had better educational opportunities. Especially in the earlier novels, there are references to piles of unread books in his apartment, and to the fact that his wife Rhona, an English teacher, took many of the books originally in the apartment when she left him. Aside from ''
Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal '' The Russian Messenger'' in twelve monthly installments during 1866.
'', he doesn’t actually read much. Rebus's interest in politics is informed by a deep scepticism. Rankin considers him to be "small-c conservative" and therefore unlikely to support political change; at one point in ''
Strip Jack ''Strip Jack'' is a 1992 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the fourth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It also exists as an audiobook, narrated by James MacPherson. The title refers to the popular card game " Strip Jack Naked". Plot A police ...
'' (1992), he tells his friends Brian and Nell that he has only voted three times in his life, "Once Labour, once SNP, and once
Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
." On the other hand, when Scottish First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...
suggested in a public venue that Rebus would have voted pro-Brexit, Rankin was taken aback. Rebus’s romantic life is varied. He has occasional one-night stands (''Knots and Crosses'', ''Black and Blue'', and ''Set in Darkness''), but his more durable relationships are with women who have a superior education to him, including his wife Rhona, DI Gill Templar, Dr. Patience Aitken, the museum curator Jean Burchill, and Professor Deborah Quant. His experiments in living with a woman (Rhona, Patience) are not successful. He can never put a woman’s needs before those of his current case and he is usually the one who gets left or dismissed. In ''A Song for the Dark Times'', he and Deborah Quant are satisfied with being “friends with benefits". His most enduring relationship is with Siobhan Clarke, but its romantic expression peaks with a single kiss at the end of ''A Question of Blood''. Starting with ''Set in Darkness'', Clarke ceases to be a mere helper or sidekick and any erotic element needs to be suppressed in order to maintain this new relationship, which is important to both of them. In ''Set in Darkness'', Rebus defends her from a stalker and in the 2002-2004 sequence, ''Resurrection Men'', ''A Question of Blood'', and ''Fleshmarket Close'', he is explicitly compared to a knight. She is sometimes mistaken for his daughter and in ''A Song for the Dark Times'' performs the daughterly task of helping him move house. Around the time of retirement, and during the pandemic lockdown especially, Rebus's constant companion is a dog named Brillo. Brillo features prominently in
A Heart Full of Headstones ''A Heart Full of Headstones'' is the 24th installment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. The title comes from the song "Single Father" by Jackie Leven, four lines of which are quoted on the last page of the novel. The novel i ...
.


Career

Rebus’s early career must be retrospectively constructed from information in later books. * Some time before 1976, he joined the police and, after some training, started out as a Detective Constable. His mentor then was DI Laurence Geddes (''Black and Blue''), who retired around 1976 after the Spaven Case. * In 1984, DC Rebus moved to the fictional Summerhall station, where DI Stefan Gilmour was his mentor until Gilmour resigned due to a scandal (''Saints of the Shadow Bible''). * In 1987, DS Rebus is based at the fictional Great London Road station, where he stays until 1993. * In 1991, DI Rebus is under Chief Superintendent Watson, who remains his superior officer until 1999 or so. * In 1992, Rebus is sent to assist the Metropolitan Police in London on a serial killer case. * By 1993, the CID team from Great London Road is moved to the real-life station at St Leonard’s (''The Black Book''). This remains DI Rebus’s station until about 2004. * In 1994, DI Rebus is assigned temporarily to the Crime Squad at the Fettes Avenue Police Headquarters (''Mortal Causes''). * In 1996, DI Rebus is offered a promotion to DCI, but in a rural area — he asks that it be given to DI Flower, his rival and enemy, to get him out of Edinburgh (''Let it Bleed''). * In 1997, DI Rebus is assigned temporarily to the rough neighbourhood station at Craigmillar. His involvement in the 1976 Spaven case is under investigation. * In 1998, DI Rebus is assigned to a committee to give advice on security for the new Scottish Parliament (''Set in Darkness'', 2000). * In 2002, DI Rebus is sent on a course for difficult senior officers to keep them on track for their pensions, at Tulliallan Police College (''Resurrection Men''). * From 2004-2007, DI Rebus and DS Clarke are assigned to the real-life Gayfield Square station. He is considered retirement age and is not welcome. * In November 2007, DI Rebus retires, as is mandatory at the age of 60. * In ''Standing in Another Man’s Grave'' (2012) John Rebus is working for SCRU, a unit that examines unsolved cold cases. * In ''Saints of the Shadow Bible'' (2013), due to a change in the retirement regulations, Rebus has become a DS again, assigned to Gayfield Square, where Clarke is now a DI. He is the subject of suspicion for his stint at Summerhall in the 1980s. * In novels after 2013, Rebus is definitively retired and his relationship with the police is at best that of a “Consulting Detective” (a la Sherlock Holmes) and at worst, an obnoxious pest. As a policeman, Rebus develops into a maverick who keeps his investigations to himself as long as possible, but is relentless in using every means to solve a murder. He strives to build up as complete a picture as possible of the victims and suspects. Sometimes, he or others understand his obsessiveness as paranoia or conspiracy thinking, sometimes as solving a jigsaw puzzle. Early on, he is ambitious, but the role of Detective Inspector, in charge of a team but with considerable discretion to control an investigation, is not one he can trade for a more desk-bound and politically sensitive role. He is also an example to others of the (bad) old-fashioned style of policeman. He is suspended from duties or asked to take a break in at least eight of the novels, usually for extreme insubordination or because he is literally trying to investigate his own past sins. In ''Black and Blue'', Rebus is haunted by a case from 1976 in which his first police mentor framed a man for murder and Rebus lied on the witness stand to support him. In ''
Saints of the Shadow Bible ''Saints of the Shadow Bible'' is the nineteenth instalment in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in 2013. Like the preceding Rebus novel, this one draws its title from a Jackie Leven lyric. Plot The investigat ...
'' (2013), Rebus recalls his time in Summerhall police station in the 1980s, among violent and corrupt police officers who still, in 2013, have much to hide. Rebus likes to improvise a team that will agree on the nature of justice and both allow and critique the methods he uses to pursue it. Brian Holmes, Siobhan Clarke, and Ellen Wylie are some of the young officers he recruits over the years. His main ally and sounding-board is Siobhan Clarke, introduced in 1993’s ''The Black Book'' and given a larger role starting in 2000’s '' Set in Darkness''. She represents a new generation of policing, able to incorporate some of Rebus’s passion into a cooler, more even-handed style. Malcolm Fox, the protagonist of two of Rankin’s novels and, in the later ones, a colleague of Clarke and Rebus, is yet another style of policeman, intensely self-controlled and aware of the law. After a successful career monitoring police ethics in the “complaints” unit, he comes to sympathize with Rebus’s need to defy orders in his investigations.


Historical observer

Rebus’s long career tracks a number of developments from 1987 to the present: * Changes in police structure, policy, and procedures in Scotland as oversight and, eventually, centralization affect the situation of police officers in their work. * Changes in Edinburgh, including gentrification, the influx of immigrants, the construction of the
Scottish parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
and its effects on the property market, the institution of one-way streets, and the lengthy attempt to construct the tramway. * Scottish politics, including the establishment of a Scottish Parliament, and the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Flashbacks and cold cases trigger memories of the 1979 referendum and the more violent period of partisanship that preceded it. * The increasing reliance of the police (and also of everyday people) on data and electronic devices. Early on, computer screens and the
HOLMES Holmes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Holmes (surname), a list of people and fictional characters ** Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective * Holmes (given name), a list of people * Gordon Holmes, a penname used by Louis Trac ...
police database mystify Rebus (''Black and Blue''). When an email exchange is central to a case in ''The Falls'', he lets his younger colleagues pursue that aspect of it. In ''A Question of Blood'', he declares himself a “dinosaur” with respect to technology and literally smashes his cellphone when his call is not answered. In the same book, however, he gets hold of a laptop in order to view the webcam feed of a young, female cousin. Eventually though, he ends up relying on a mobile phone, texts, and search engines.


Influences

In his introduction to ''Rebus: The Early Years'', Ian Rankin explains that part of the original inspiration for Rebus had to do with wanting to retell
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
’s classic horror story ''
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between ...
'', with Rebus as Jekyll threatened by his evil alter ego from the past. The Jekyll and Hyde theme is explicit in the first three novels, but reappears throughout the series, often expressed by Rebus to himself as the relationship between Edinburgh’s “overworld and underworld.” As John Lanchester noted in 2000,
The aspect of the Jekyll and Hyde story which particularly interested Rankin was its portrayal of Edinburgh as a city of appearances and division, a place of almost structural hypocrisy.
Rebus can be said to belong to a long tradition of paternal Scottish hard men. A natural leader whose gruff exterior and fierce will to succeed in his field belies a benevolent nature. The character owes as much to the likes of Scottish football players
Jock Stein John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win the European Champio ...
and
Bill Shankly William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. Shankly brought su ...
as it does to a more obvious relation, the TV detective Jim Taggart. In an ''Independent on Sunday'' interview Rankin said that he drew "some of his inspiration" for the character from the "sixth Stone", Ian Stewart. Three of the Inspector Rebus books are named after
Stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
albums: ''
Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976, by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first record after former guitarist Mick Taylor quit in December 1974. ...
'', ''
Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 28 November 1969 by London Records in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. Released during the ba ...
'' and '' Beggars Banquet''.


List of stories

For a list of the novels and stories in which John Rebus appears, see Inspector Rebus Series: Publishing history


Other media


TV

Plans were afoot in the late 1980s and early '90s to bring Rebus to television in an adaptation of ''
Knots and Crosses ''Knots and Crosses'' (also written ''Knots & Crosses'') is a 1987 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the first of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was written while Rankin was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. In the introd ...
'' with
Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...
in the lead role, but this came to nothing. Ian Rankin believes that it was likely they would have made Rebus English or relocated the entire story to London. Rankin has revealed that the BBC were also keen to cast
Robbie Coltrane Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He was appointe ...
as Rebus in a mooted adaptation of the series in the 1990s. Rankin ''smiled a bit'', imagining flashbacks to Rebus's SAS training with Private Robbie Coltrane running over the assault course! In the ''
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 (+ ...
'' television adaptations he was played by John Hannah in the first series, a casting decision into which Hannah felt he was forced. It was his production company behind the series and his original suggestion was Peter Mullan. However, he claimed the corporation would not commission a relatively unknown actor. In the later series, following Hannah and his production team's exit, the role was taken over by
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 (play), Broken Glass'' at Royal National Thea ...
. A lot of Rebus's character foibles are glossed over in the adaptations, for example his large LP collection and the frequent popular music references and thoughts that Ian Rankin weaves into the stories. However, Rebus's reliance on alcohol is evident and he is often seen drinking in the Oxford Bar. Also, in the television series Rebus is portrayed as being a supporter of Hibernian (like Siobhan Clarke). This is not found in Ian Rankin's books and the author has stated that Rebus is a Raith Rovers supporter. Rebus's
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
accent is softened as well — in the novel '' Tooth and Nail'', London Metropolitan Police colleagues find it difficult to understand his speech. In November 2022, it was announced that Nordic streaming service
Viaplay Viaplay is a Swedish video streaming service owned by Viaplay Group. History Originally owned by Modern Times Group, it was launched in May 2007 as Viasat On Demand. It was rebranded as Viaplay in 2011. Viaplay released its first origina ...
would produce a new Rebus adaptation, as the company's debut UK production. In March 2023, Richard Rankin was announced, to star as Rebus. Following Viaplay's decision to withdraw from the UK market, the production was acquired by the BBC. Episode 1 of the new series was aired on BBCiPlayer and BBCScotland on 17 May 2024, and on BBCOne on 18th May 2024.


BBC Radio

Alexander Morton played Rebus in a 1999 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of ''
Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 28 November 1969 by London Records in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. Released during the ba ...
''. Ron Donachie starred as Rebus in
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's dramatizations of ''The Falls'' (2008), ''Resurrection Men'' (2008), ''Strip Jack'' (2010), ''The Black Book'' (2012), ''Black and Blue'' (2013) and "Rebus Set in Darkness" (2014). BBC Radio has also broadcast abridged readings of some novels, including ''Let It Bleed'' (read by Alexander Morton), of the novella ''Death Is Not the End'' (read by
Douglas Henshall Douglas James "Dougie" Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series ''Primeval (TV series), Primeval'' (2007–2011) and D ...
) and of the short story "Facing the Music" from ''Beggars Banquet'' (read by
James MacPherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...
).


Stage

Rankin, with
Rona Munro Rona Munro (born 7 September 1959) is a Scottish writer. She has written plays for theatre, radio, and television. Her film work includes Ken Loach's '' Ladybird, Ladybird'' (1994), '' Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010) for Jim Loach and '' Aimée ...
, wrote the stage play '' Rebus: Long Shadows'' which premiered at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
in September 2018 with Northern Irish actor
Charles Lawson Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson (born 17 September 1959) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is best known for playing Jim McDonald (Coronation Street), Jim McDonald on the long running ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. ...
playing Rebus. Ron Donachie, who had frequently played the character for BBC Radio, took over the role for the 2019 run after Lawson suffered a minor stroke. Rankin has since written a second play with Simon Reade. Entitled ''Rebus: A Game Called Malice'', the production was premiered at the
Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch The Queen's Theatre is a 507-seat mid-scale producing theatre located in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering, east London. The theatre was originally located on Station Lane, Hornchurch, on a site that was used as a cinema and had be ...
on 2 February 2023 with
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011 to 2013 and his role as CEO Guy ...
playing Rebus. A new production of the play will be performed at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh in September 2024, with Gray O'Brien as Rebus.


Short film

In May 2020, Brian Cox played an older Rebus in the short film ''John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues'' for
BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
's ''Scenes for Survival'', which is set in a locked down
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The film was written by Ian Rankin for the National Theatre of Scotland.


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External links


Ian Rankin page at Hachette UKRebus TV Series IMDBRebus and Rankin at Scotsman.com
The Oxford barRebusOnline fan club siteFleshmarket Close Rebus fansite
-> {{DEFAULTSORT:Rebus, John Fictional Scottish detectives Fictional British police detectives Fictional people from Edinburgh Ian Rankin characters