Amazon has struck a deal to revive axed BBC One drama Ripper Street.
The third series will be available to subscribers of its Prime Instant Video service – formerly Lovefilm – before being broadcast on BBC One.
The deal also includes exclusive streaming rights to the first two seasons of the of the period cop show.
Ripper Street follows the notorious H Division – the Police Precinct charged with keeping order on the meanest streets imaginable: late Victorian Whitechapel – and stars Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg.
After the show was axed by BBC One due to poor ratings fans launched a social media campaign to have it revived.
The new series will be produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and Lookout Point, a third series of Ripper Street with BBC America acting as co-producer in the US.
“We’re delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers, but we can also confirm today that we will making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama,” said Jason Ropell, Head of Amazon Instant Video International Content Acquisition. “
Ben Stephenson, the BBC’s Controller of Drama Commissioning, says: “This is an exceptional opportunity to bring back Ripper Street for a third series by working with the right partners.
“This deal gives fans another series of the show they love at excellent value to the licence fee payer, ensuring that the BBC can also commission an entirely new, yet to be announced drama series.”