Netflix has exhumed a string of axed US programmes recently – they are clearly looking at programmes such as Arrested Development, The Killing and Star Wars: The Clone Wars with a fresh calculation of risk. When a third series of Ripper Street was recommissioned last week, it became the first UK show to get an internet broadcast revival, and the first revival globally for Amazon Studios. Amazon will be the majority funder, getting an exclusive first window for the show. The BBC are part-investing, meaning that the series will get a later play on BBC One.
Simon Vaughan is chief executive of production company Lookout Point, who make the show alongside Tiger Aspect. He came up with the concept for the show, and exec produces. We spoke to him about how the deal came about, and the future of the show.
This deal has a lot of 'firsts' – from an internet recommission for an established British show to a programme revival for Amazon Studios. How did this come about?
We were keen to keep the show alive and realised that we were in a unique position to do so. Tiger Aspect and Lookout Point share a deep creative instinct – everyone was involved with the Ripper Street scripts from the start. Both companies also share a real ability to develop projects with funding partners. For us, Ripper Street was creatively driven in that we hadn't finished the story we wanted to tell. Then we put our financial expertise to work to find the right partner.
Chris Bird and Amy Jones at Amazon responded immediately and once we began talking we could see how well it would work.
Another first is that series three of Ripper Street will be on BBC One, in a prime slot, in a second window. How hard were the BBC to convince?
From the first moment we suggested it, everyone was enthusiastic, if the correct balance creatively and commercially could be found. The BBC showed immediate and unanimous support.
Could you have done this with only Amazon?
No, keeping the series going required everyone to come back on board. The show originated and is partly owned by the BBC and BBC Worldwide. We could not have done this without everybody's full support and co-operation.
How long has this been in the offing?
We've worked on getting this off the ground every day since the day the BBC decided it was not going to do a third series. There were lots of moving parts that needed to lock together to close the financing.
Ripper Street couldn't have been much more critically lauded – and it won the Radio Times' reader poll for best TV show of 2013. Why did the BBC cancel it, and why did Amazon calculate things differently?
The BBC has always loved the show, but there was only so much money and limited slots. It's natural that the BBC want to update their lineup. It's also natural that Amazon would want to be a part of such a creatively and commercially successful series.
Money from Amazon means that for the first time some scenes will be filmed in England, in addition to Ireland. How much will this change the show?
Since the UK tax credit has come into force, we saw a wonderful opportunity to expand the visual horizons of our Ripper world by filming here. Dublin offers incredible variety, but the chance to do some work in England as well is a way for us to further enhance production values. We want the new series of Ripper Street to be as epic in scale as possible.
With regards to production and tax breaks, is it business as usual for series three, the same as if the BBC was the sole financier? Or will anything be different?
Creatively and storywise there are lots of changes. While all our lead characters are returning, we meet them four years later, very much changed emotionally and professionally.
Will the move to Amazon change the audience base or viewing patterns? Will you be developing the new series with any of that in mind?
No, it's business as usual. Ripper Street always lent itself to "binge viewing", where fans don't have to wait a week for the next episode. It's nuanced, intricate and complicated. It plays well on a broadcast network but should also work well on Amazon Prime Instant Video.
Amazon Prime Instant Video is a subscription service. Are they primarily concerned with viewing figures, like the BBC seemed to be? What boxes need to be ticked for a series four?
That's for Amazon to say. Our task is to make sure we have a terrific third series that attracts the critical acclaim and the enthusiastic audience we had for the first two. We can't wait.
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