Rebus Series 2: Everything We Know So Far

It’s official: the BBC is working hard on a follow up to 2024’s gripping crime drama Rebus, a thematic prequel to the character invented by Sir Ian Rankin and pursued over a whopping 25 novels. Starring Richard Rankin (no relation) as a young version as the famously weary inspector, fans were compelled by series 1’s intriguing plot and equally mysterious and suspenseful setting: Gothically gloomy Edinburgh and Glasgow.

And now the team is back in Scotland for a sequel series, with filming officially underway. Here’s everything we know so far about Rebus series 2.

Filming is officially underway on Rebuse series 2. (BBC/Eleventh Hour Films/Mark Mainz)

Rebus Series 2: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

In June 2025, the first six-episode series of Rebus bagged three RTS Scotland awards: Best Drama, Best Writer for Gregory Burke and Best Director for Niall MacCormick. Did this seal the deal on Rebus series 2? Perhaps – though BBC Scotland’s head of commissioning says the team was already ‘blown away with the audience response to the new-look Rebus’, saying ‘bringing it back for a second series was always a priority’.

It’s now full steam ahead on the sequel series, which will again be made up of six episodes and was originally slated for release in 2026. But with filming only just commencing in June 2026, the BBC has understandably pushed this back to 2027. That’s a three year gap between series 1 and 2… But hopefully good things will come to those who wait.

John Rebus (RICHARD RANKIN). © Viaplay/ Eleventh Hour/Graeme Hunter

What Will Happen?

‘Season one of Rebus ended on a cliffhanger: only screenwriter Gregory Burke knows what happens next,’ says author and executive producer Ian Rankin mysteriously. ‘I’m hugely excited that season two will soon be with us. Rebus is back – mean, moody and as magnificent as ever!’

Rebus series 2 will take us back to the world of Sergeant John Rebus, who actor Richard Rankin describes as ‘intense, driven and a bit of a maverick’. He lives and works in Edinburgh, a city underpinned by a drug trade manned by violent criminals and plundered by the professional bourgeois world of law and finance, where police often fear to tread.

We’re told series two will continue to explore this link between violent criminals and the professional bourgeois world of law and finance, but other than that, the BBC is keeping plot details under wraps for now.

Siobhan Clarke (LUCIE SHORTHOUSE) & John Rebus (RICHARD RANKIN) in Rebus. (BBC/Viaplay /Eleventh Hour/Mark Mainz)

The Cast

Richard Rankin is back in his leading role as Detective John Rebus, joined by a cast of faces we got to know last time around, including Brian Ferguson as Michael Rebus and Lucie Shorthouse as DC Siobhan Clarke.

On series 1, in an interview with C&TH, Rankin described Rebus as ‘intense, driven, and a bit of a maverick’ with ‘a sharp mind and a deep sense of justice’. He added that ‘Playing Rebus has been incredibly rewarding. It’s a role that demands a lot emotionally and physically, but it’s also one that allows for deep, nuanced storytelling. It’s been a real challenge but also a great pleasure to bring such a legendary character to life.’ No wonder, then, that he’s back for series 2.

The BBC has also revealed a cast of guest stars as Rebus unpicks a ghastly new crime. John Michie, Stephen McCole, Emily Barber and more are on the slate.

The full cast we know so far is as follows:

Regulars

• Richard Rankin as Detective John Rebus
• Brian Ferguson as Michael Rebus
• Lucie Shorthouse as DC Siobhan Clarke
• Amy Manson as Rhona Moncrieffe
• Neshla Caplan as Chrissie Rebus
• Stuart Bowman as Ger Cafferty
• Noof Ousellam as Darryl Christie
• Thoren Ferguson as Malcolm Fox
• Mia McKenzie as Sammy Rebus
• Andrew John Tait as Neil MacKenzie
• Cassidy Little as Cammy

Guest

• John Michie
• Stephen McCole
• Emily Barber
• Lorne MacFadyen
• Conor Berry
• Ivan Ivashkin
• Olga Safronova
• Douglas Russell
• Alexis Rodney
• Reece Montague
• Joshua Haynes

Michael Rebus (BRIAN FERGUSON) & John Rebus (RICHARD RANKIN) in Rebus. (BBC/Viaplay /Eleventh Hour/Mark Mainz)

Release Date

Rebus series 2 is slated to air in 2027, but no firm date just yet. Stay tuned for more.

Rebus series 1 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.