Ripper Street, BBC’s intelligent crime drama set in late 19^th century Whitechapel, has been cancelled after two series. We asked the lead character, Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, for his thoughts.

I have been surprised and gratified to learn that reports of our work in H Division have spread beyond London to the Provinces, and – aye – even to the Colonies and to foreign shores.

As we endeavour to maintain some measure of order in these crowded streets of Whitechapel, I am given to understand that folk in far distant towns have taken a keen interest in the practices and procedures of our policing.

How wondrous indeed are the modern electrical contraptions which carry our phizzogs to places across the seas in little boxes made of glass.

And how curious that our daily dealings with sundry ruffians, bludgers, dippers, dollymops and murderers in the rookeries, lodging kens  and molly houses of this teeming city should provide entertainment for others!

At least, such has been the case until this day. For I now learn that the machines which “transmit” (I believe is the word) our “adventures” (to us they are merely our workaday tasks) to those distant people are to be used for another purpose.

Thus our efforts to keep the peace in this down-and-dirty borough will henceforth go unrecorded and unseen. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your company during this most eventful of years, and rest assured a rozzer’s task is never done!

Detective Inspector Edmund Reid was speaking to Andy Weltch, who was sad to see Ripper Street axed after two series. It’s intelligent period drama – a kind of NYPD Blue in the East End of the late 19th century. Macho and hard as nails on the outside, its narratives are driven by a sense of compassion and justice. Exciting, moving, and educational too. I’ll miss it.

Piece of Pink Pie owes a huge thank-you to Lynn Shepherd, author of wonderful literary mystery novels, and an expert in Victorian slang, for her invaluable input into this post.

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