Rebus
BBC1
Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour
BBC2
Ian Rankin has said that the new adaptation of Rebus is terrific, and you might think: “Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?” Rankin is not only the author of the bestselling novels, he’s the executive producer. He might be the teeniest bit biased.
But do you know what? He’s not wrong. It is terrific, mainly for two reasons. The first is Richard Rankin (no relation to Ian), who plays John Rebus with a dark, dangerous charisma and bone-dry sarcasm that is mildly hypnotic to watch. The second is Gregory Burke’s script, which is nimble, non-clichéd and underscored with a wit that sometimes made me laugh loudly. You don’t necessarily expect that from a crime drama in