EXCLUSIVE By LAURA ARMSTRONG
MATTHEW MacFADYEN has defended Ripper Street against claims it is too graphic – insisting that most Brits RELISH Victorian sex and violence.
Nearly 90 viewers have complained since the BBC1 crime series, set in east London in the Jack The Ripper era, started two weeks ago.
But former Spooks actor Matthew, who plays detective inspector Edmund Reid, reckons the gritty reality shown on screen is an essential part of the show’s appeal.
He told TV Biz: “I think people are fascinated by Victorian attitudes towards sex and society. And back then in the East End there was enormous poverty.
“Actually, it was the Ripper murders that brought to light the dire poverty in the East End. They showed them up to a greater audience.”
He added: “Ripper Street is a very original thing really. The script grabs you because it is bombastic, big and colourful and grimy as well. There’s lots of stuff in there.
“And being able to go back to seedy Whitechapel is brilliant.
“The show designer is a supremely talented man and his team have been fantastic.
“All of the sets are as it was back then. There’s a toymaker’s shop, a pub, an orphanage and an asylum and all kinds of different things, so it’s great.”
He said: “My character, Reid, is a very dedicated and forward-thinking policeman. What I find interesting is that there’s nothing jaded about him.
“I wanted to get away from the classic ‘seen it all, done it all’ copper and he’s definitely not that.
“He’s progressive and interested in the innovations of the age.
“But he has also got quite a lot of anger and a fairly dark past.
No comments:
Post a Comment