Rebus Series Two Confirmed as BBC Crime Drama Returns After Acclaimed Debut

Image: BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

John Rebus is coming back. After a well-received first run, the BBC has confirmed that Rebus will return for a second series, with Richard Rankin once again playing the sharp but battle-worn detective. Based on Ian Rankin's best-selling books and shot in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow, the show will continue to explore the murky world of Scottish crime and the personal cost that comes with it.

The first series launched on BBC iPlayer in 2024 and quickly found an audience. It brought in 6.3 million viewers across all platforms and was praised for its grounded tone and confident storytelling. Last month, it picked up three RTS Scotland awards, including Best Drama, Best Writer and Best Director. For a reboot of a familiar character, it managed to feel fresh without losing what made the source material so popular in the first place.

This next chapter will push further into the tension between violent criminal networks and the more polished world of law and finance. Rebus, who never really fits comfortably in either, finds himself once again caught between power, politics and the messy business of trying to do the right thing. The tone is expected to stay grounded, with a focus on how the character moves through a world that's becoming harder to navigate.

Richard Rankin's version of Rebus struck the right note. Not a hero in the usual sense, but someone who feels real. Worn down, sharp when it matters, and driven by something he doesn't always talk about. He gives the character weight without leaning too hard into cliché. It's the sort of performance that can carry a series without needing much flash around it.

Ian Rankin returns as executive producer, although he admits he doesn't know what comes next. That responsibility falls to screenwriter Gregory Burke, who says he's keen to keep using Rebus as a way to look at Scottish society more broadly. Paula Cuddy at Eleventh Hour Films hinted that series two will deliver just as much grit and attitude, and maybe even a few unexpected laughs along the way.

BBC Scotland's Louise Thornton confirmed that recommissioning the show was a priority. The audience response made it clear that people were ready for this kind of drama, and the series fits into the BBC's wider plan to create more high-profile scripted content from Scotland. If the second series lands with the same confidence as the first, it could set the tone for a whole run of Scottish stories to follow.

Filming will once again take place in Edinburgh and Glasgow. A release date hasn't been confirmed yet, but the return of Rebus feels locked in. Still flawed, still searching, and still asking questions no one else wants to.