BBC America's 'White Chapel' to Premiere 10/26

Is it possible that the world's most notorious serial killer is back? This October, Dramaville, the home of groundbreaking British drama including Luther and The Hour, presents the U.S. premiere of the acclaimed series Whitechapel on BBC AMERICA. Set in modern day East London, the police force is faced with the brutal and bloody history of their streets - from echoes of the 19th century and Jack the Ripper to the infamous 1960s crime twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray. From the producers of Downton Abbey and starring Rupert Penry-Jones (MI-5, Persuasion), Phil Davis (Sherlock, Bleak House) and Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen), the six part series focuses on two internationally resonant crime stories with a stylish, cinematic and contemporary spin. Whitechapel premieres Wednesday, October 26, 10:00pm ET on Dramaville.

As the murder rate rises and clues are scarce, an unlikely trio sets out to solve the most famous unsolved murder case in history - Jack the Ripper - the first internationally known serial killer. Assigned to the case is fast-tracked Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) a novice in the business of murder but an expert in the politics of policing and three day training. His fellow officers, however, are anything but. Chief among them is Detective Sergeant Miles (Phil Davis), the archetypal cynical, seen-it-all detective. Tipped-off by 'Ripperologist' Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) an expert in the myths and legends behind unexplained or violent deaths, Chandler realizes this modern day killer is copying Jack the Ripper's infamous murders in the Whitechapel section of London, down to the very last detail. Will the unlikely team succeed where 120 years ago others failed, and solve the most famous unsolved murder case in history?

Ambitious DI Chandler is assigned an open-and-shut case, the killing of a woman in the East End of London. Get a quick result, he is told, and you will get the promotion you have been waiting for. Unfortunately for him, however, things don't turn out to be so straight forward. The investigation quickly runs out of suspects until Edward Buchan, a renowned Ripperologist, draws the police's attention to the similarities between the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888 and the modern-day murder that Chandler is investigating. The race begins to catch the copycat killer before he strikes again.

To complicate matters further, there is an emergence of a series of horrific attacks - attacks which appear to echo the Kray twins infamous crimes of the 1960s. Leading the case is the smarmy and potentially suspect Detective Chief Inspector Torbin Cazenove (Peter Serafinowicz. Running Wilde, Shaun of the Dead). Despite the fact that the case has been handed over to the Organized Crime Division - run by Cazenove - an undeterred Chandler continues his own investigation. It soon becomes apparent those responsible for these heinous crimes are prepared to kill anyone who gets in their way- including DI Chandler and his colleagues DS Miles, Detective Constable McCormack and Detective Constable Kent.

Whitechapel follows the critically acclaimed psychological crime drama, Luther, continuing BBC AMERICA's weekly British drama slot Dramaville, airing Wednesdays at 10:00pm ET and hosted by Luther star Idris Elba. Following Whitechapel, Dramaville presents an encore broadcast of the award-winning conspiracy drama, State of Play, on December 7.

BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 70.1 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS

DI Joseph Chandler Rupert Penry-Jones (MI-5, Persuasion, Burn Up)

DS Miles Phil Davis (Sherlock, Bleak House, Vera Drake)

Edward Buchan Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentelmen, Benidorm)

Dr. Llewellyn Clarie Rushbrook (Linda Green, The Sins, Doctor Who)

Commander Anderson Alex Jennings (Cranford, The State Within, The Queen)

Jimmy / Johnny Kray Craig Parkinson (Misfits, Brighton Rock, Control)

DCI Torbin Cazenove Peter Serafinowicz (Running Wilde, Shaun of the Dead)

DC McCormack George Rossi (Hustle, Hotel Babylon)

DC Kent Sam Stockman (Wire in the Blood, Holby City)

Creator and Writer Ben Court and Caroline Ip (Primeval)

Director SJ Clarkson (Mistresses, Hustle, Life on Mars) (Episodes 1-3)

Director David Evans (Unforgiven, Survivors, The Children) (Episodes 4-6)

Executive Producer Sally Woodward Gentle (Any Human Heart, Enid, Waking the Dead)

Whitechapel is a Carnival Films production for ITV

 

 

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