Ripper Street’s possible resuscitation has been debated since the show was canceled at Christmas. The show, which initially brought in promising ratings with its series one premiere during the festive schedules of 2012, lost millions of viewers during its second series. What began as an 8 million-viewers success ended with just over 3 million. For this reason, it was axed by the BBC.
However, the vocal disappointment of fans and the determination of production company Tiger Aspect Productions (which co-produces the drama with the BBC, BBC Worldwide, BBC America and Look Out Point) have led to discussions about the show’s future. Tiger Aspect has confirmed that Amazon-owned online streaming provider LOVEFiLM is leading the way in the race to find a new outlet for the series, according to RadioTimes.com.
LOVEFiLM, which has been steadily building up its original content whilst moving into production, would make the third series available to its subscribers. It is also possible the show may still retain a connection to the BBC, who are interested in keeping the drama running provided it provides better value for money for licence-fee payers. After a period of exclusive availability online, it is likely the show would then air on BBC One.
The first series of Ripper Street is available on Blu-ray disc and DVD. Series two will be released later in the spring.
