BBC’s RIPPER STREET Is Axed After Decline In Viewers!
BBC drama ‘Ripper Street‘ will not be returning for a 3rd season, following disappointing viewing figures on its BBC One channel – according to Deadline!
A spokesperson said:
“We are very proud of Ripper Street which has enjoyed two highly ambitious series on BBC One. However, the second series didn’t bring the audience we hoped and in order to make room for creative renewal and new ideas it won’t be returning.”
The crime eight-parter, co-produced with BBC America, stars Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg. Set in the aftermath of the Jack The Ripper murders, the action centres on the H Division group of detectives who investigated the murders and tried to keep the peace in an already-panicked section of east London. Season 1 was released on the small screen all over the UK in late 2012, and then on BBC America in early 2013. Its first run on BBC One had a promising start, and averaged out around 5M over the initial run. However, after season 2 began October 2013, viewing figures have been on a downhill spiral, with last Monday’s episode (2nd December, 2013) down to 3.26M for a 13% share. With celebrities eating, and being covered in, various bugs on live TV, ITV‘s hit reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!‘ nabbed twice the amount of ‘Ripper Street‘s share of the night, at 8.21M viewers.
As you can imagine, this news has sent shockwaves among the fans and even the actors working on the drama, with Flynn telling BBC radio:
“We’re all in absolute shock because it was a wonderful job and we feel like it’s kind of this unfinished work. So we’re hoping it will turn around if anybody from the BBC is listening.”
That’s show business, I guess.
