Great SCOT

RICHARD RANKIN plays a new incarnation of Edinburgh's celebrated sleuth John Rebus

- CAREN CLARK

REBUS 

NEW FRIDAY, 10PM, BBC SCOTLAND DRAMA (BOX SET, BBC IPLAYER)

With his dogged desire to catch criminals and lack of qualms about rule-bending, careworn detective John Rebus is author Sir Ian Rankin's most-famous creation.

While John Hannah and Ken Stott have previously portrayed the shrewd but flawed Edinburgh-based police officer on screen (see box, right), new thriller Rebus - which debuts on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer before airing next week on BBC1 - sees Outlander star Richard Rankin offer a fresh take on the compelling sleuth.

Although Rebus is retired in the most recent novels, the six-part drama, set in the present day, reimagines him as a Detective Sergeant in his 40s, working alongside new colleague DC Siobhan Clarke (Lucie Shorthouse).

But as Rebus investigates gang warfare, he faces moral dilemmas when his brother Michael (Brian Ferguson), who is struggling after leaving the Army, gets embroiled in the violent criminal underworld. And there are further complications as Rebus is having a secret affair, while he is also battling to accept that his ex-wife Rhona (Amy Manson) and daughter Sammy (Mia McKenzie) are now living with Rhona's wealthy new husband.

Here, Richard, 41, shares his case notes with us...

How do you view Rebus?