WHAT’S ON TV We’ve had quite a rocky ride
IT’S been lovely to tell the whole story, and have the chance to do that, because Ripper Street’s had quite a rocky ride. We did the second series and then it was cancelled and then it was revived. And then we thought perhaps we would leave it at the end of series three, and then we were asked to do more and actually it’s sort of revealed itself into one wonderful big story, which was probably the aim at the beginning.
It feels very much like we’ve come back to the beginning, certainly in episode six, which is the last. It’s just a beautifully written episode. So it’s felt extremely satisfying creatively to be able to do that. I WILL miss playing it, but it feels as though I’ve played him now. Our lovely producer Will told me that we’ll have done 37 hours and that’s enough I think. That’s certainly the longest amount of time that I’ve played one character. But it hasn’t felt like a chore. It’s been lovely. It’s been a really special job; good people, talented people and lovely to work in Dublin. THEY’RE all pretty shell-shocked really and they end up in the Alexandria, which is Mimi Morton’s theatre, which she acquired and is in the process of renovating. That’s where they hide out. And she allows them to sort of live there.
They’re on the run basically. Ripper Street is back for an explosive final series. on what’s in store for Matthew Macfadyen as his character turns outlaw wants to take his wife and his kid Connor, and start again and be happy – get away from Whitechapel. And it’s Reid that is keeping him anchored because he needs him to get Dove, so there’s a sort of reluctance there with Jackson and that’s an interesting thing to have in the mix as well, as he’s torn. Richard Warlow has created, this idea that Reid as a policeman is a pillar of the law is suddenly outside of it and he’s gone rogue with these two. And certainly with a woman who he regards as a criminal.
It’s very complicated. It’s very nuanced and interesting. There are moments when he feels very, very bleak and frustrated that he’s unable to see his daughter and explain to her what’s happened and it’s difficult to see a way how he might be able to prosecute Dove, the real villain of the piece.
But also I think there’s a sort of freedom in having gone rogue – there’s a part of them which thinks With his enemy, Inspector Shine, right, now in charge of the police division, Edmund Reid is on the run with Long Susan and Captain Homer Jackson hunting down their friend’s killer HE does have that, which is kind of admirable but also infuriating, and he does it at the expense of other people’s feelings and situations sometimes. I think he feels a terrible guilt about it. IT’S a brilliant dramatic device, to have two sides of the same coin with the Dove brothers. It’s such a brilliant conceit and that they’re not unsympathetic: certainly Nathaniel, he’s a psychopath really, but it’s rooted in this terrible trauma from when they were little boys.
As the story develops you see that he’s a traumatised and profoundly wounded boy who’s being manipulated to a degree.
It’s not to say that he’s not guilty but it’s interesting and quite moving I think. I THINK Reid knows he’s not a saint and he knows that she certainly isn’t but I think he knows full well that she’s not a bad person... she’s just sort of ruthless.
There’s a real connection between Reid and Long Susan and there’s a real understanding. They’re friends despite everything. I THINK they’ve always been pretty robust in their relationship, pretty honest. That’s the wonderfully attractive thing about Jackson, that even when he does hide secrets it’s usually because of the ones he loves, so Reid’s intelligent enough to understand that. There’s a great fondness and understanding between the two of them I would say. OH, GOD, there’ve been too many to mention. If I think of highs, I think finding his daughter was a wonderful thing and finding sort of peace after he had been shot, but yeah, apart from that it’s pretty bleak for Mr Reid, yeah.