7 secrets from the set of REBUS

TV Times goes behind the scenes of the BBC's gritty Scottish crime drama

- CAREN CLARK

REBUS

SATURDAY, 9.10PM, BBC2 DRAMA

1 LEADING MAN

The casting team searched high and low for the right person to play John Rebus, the maverick sleuth at the heart of Sir Ian Rankin's bestselling novels, on which the six-part series is based. Outlander star Richard Rankin, no relation, proved the perfect fit.

'We met a lot of actors and they had to be Scottish and also have that Jekyll and Hyde-type character that lan talks about in the books,' says executive producer Jill Green.

'Rebus is complex and dark, but also warm and witty, and Richard showed both sides of the coin. He had leading-man charisma, plus his dad was a policeman.

'I remember saying to Richard, "You've got to lead from the top and look after your cast." He liked that. On Fridays, he'd organise a pizza truck or ice-cream van!'

2 SOUNDING BOARDS

While DS Rebus has grown up in Fife and now patrols the streets of nearby Edinburgh, Richard hails from Rutherglen, just outside Glasgow. So he spent time speaking to locals to ensure that his accent sounded correct.

'Richard availed himself of various Edinburghers and Fifers, because it was important to him that he was authentic in his accent as well as the characterisation,' shares producer Angela Murray. 'He wasn't working with a formal dialogue coach but with people that he trusted, who he could speak to on a regular basis. He'd listen to them to get the rhythms right.'

'And Gregory Burke, our writer, is from Fife,' adds Jill. 'He was on set, so Richard got those nuances, too.'

3 TALE OF ONE CITY