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Ripper

Ripper was originally a proposed television show based upon the character of Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (created by Joss Whedon). More recent information has suggested that if Ripper were ever made it would be a TV-movie or a DVD-movie.[4] Giles, played by British actor Anthony Stewart Head, was nicknamed ‘Ripper’ while he was dabbling in the occult during his rebellious youth.

Whedon said that the show would be in the tradition of “classic English ghost stories” and would explore the theme of loneliness. Head described the idea as being like “Cracker with ghosts”;[5] Whedon elaborated on some the themes he had planned for the series: “The people who live there, it’s all very isolated. [Giles] himself has been gone for many years. He was surrounded by a de facto family that he no longer has. And [he is] sort of picking up his life all alone, and then getting involved in the underbelly of other people’s lives, and finding out all about them. Loneliness is what I think of. It may not be the theme so much as the emotional intent of the series, but that’s what really attracts it to me the most”[6] It was later reported that Whedon had written the two-hour pilot, and that Espenson and other Buffy staff writers had penned story outlines for other potential episodes.[7]

Originally in 2001, the show was planned to be aired as a miniseries on the BBC. Later
mentions suggested a TV movie, however in an interview in December 2005, Head suggested that Ripper would be a “two hour movie, that might become part of a series of [Buffyverse] DVDs”.[4] However, Whedon was then involved in his new TV series Dollhouse which ended in 2010 and comic book Buffy Season 8.

At Comic Con 2007, Joss Whedon confirmed that talks were almost completed for a 90-minute Ripper special on the BBC,[8] with both Head and the BBC completely on board.
The development process was supposedly set to begin in 2008 and Ripper was to be shown in the summer of that year.[9] However, in a BBC interview in April 2008, Head stated that ‘Creator Joss Whedon is busy with another project, I’m tied up too, so at the moment I’d just say that it’s still out there.’[10] In this same interview, Head mentioned that Whedon had discussed the project with Doctor Who and Torchwood producer Julie Gardner.

Later Joss Whedon gave an interview to TV Week’s James Hibberd and was surprisingly non-committal about Ripper. Whedon stated that “There isn’t anything new. It might become too problematic. The rights issue with ‘Ripper’ becomes complicated. There are other characters in the woods. We may have to do some fancy footwork. Obviously I’m committed to Dollhouse but that does not mean I’m not doing ‘Ripper’”. [1]
With the cancellation of Dollhouse Whedon has been locked in talks over the rights issues of the character of Rupert Giles. This is the only hurdle with the BBC having funding, location and local production team in place, with Whedon delivering the initial script. It still remains unclear whether it would go beyond a 90 minute TV special or become a stand-alone miniseries.[11][12]