A drama set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the "Ripper" murders. The action centres around the notorious H Division – the police precinct from hell – which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. Ripper Street explores the lives of characters trying to recover from the Ripper's legacy, from crimes that have not only irretrievably altered their lives, but the very fabric of their city. At the drama's heart our detectives try to bring a little light into the dark world they inhabit.
Written by Sophie and last updated on jan 22, 2023.
PS: The following content contains spoilers!
PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!
Investigations into the brutal slaying of a telegraph boy lift the lid on a vice racket run from the offices of the GPO. The case leads Reid to the heart of the one of the city's most august financial institutions. Captain Jackson seeks ever more perilous means of ridding he and Long Susan of the suffocating debt they owe Silas Duggan.
The episode was rated 7.85 from 260 votes.
The abduction of a prominent member of the London County Council introduces Reid to Councilor Jane Cobden, the first woman appointed to the LCC - because it appears the kidnappers are radical supporters of Cobden's aims. Long Susan is taken by force to the gang's hideout, and she soon finds herself growing sympathetic to her captors' lives and aims.
The episode was rated 7.86 from 283 votes.
A young woman is found murdered at the London Hospital and the only clue to her identity is an unusual deformity. The hunt for her killer takes Reid and the team into the shadowy netherworld of the freakshows, where they must seek the help of Joseph Merrick, aka the Elephant Man. Reinforcements for H-Division arrive in the form of DC Albert Flight.
The episode was rated 7.88 from 296 votes.
Jack the Ripper may be fading into memory, but east London has found no peace. An investigation into the assault of a policeman leads DI Reid and the men of H-Division to the newly-emergent Chinatown, where Jackson discovers evidence of a new and devastatingly powerful opiate. Reid fears a new kind of hell is to be released onto his streets.
The episode was rated 7.92 from 316 votes.
An Irish bomber is sprung from prison and barely a day later a prominent opponent of the Home Rule movement is murdered. Chief Inspector Abberline is convinced that the Irish Republican Brotherhood is active once more and orders Reid to send the Irish DC Flight undercover into Whitechapel's Irish community.
The episode was rated 8.00 from 269 votes.
Churches and synagogues are being burnt and desecrated in Whitechapel and Reid suspects the same hand behind the various attacks. Meanwhile, the all-too-brief domestic happiness that Sergeant Drake has enjoyed is disrupted by the arrival of a friend from his wife Bella's past, the mysterious and charismatic scholar, Gabriel Cain.
The episode was rated 8.09 from 253 votes.
A valuable symbol of the British Empire’s wealth shows up in the form of an uncut diamond. It is a jewel ‘freed’ from the diamond monopoly of De Graal by one Daniel Judge, Captain Jackson’s untrustworthy older brother. Reid and Flight find themselves being drawn to the plight of a local craftsman defrauded of his work and income by a scam that is set to return H Division to the malign influence of Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine.
The episode was rated 8.20 from 248 votes.
Death and violence comes to Whitechapel once again. Some decayed and murdered bodies are discovered in a slum tenement, and the advanced stages of the police divisional boxing championship reveals the vengeful ferocity to be seen within the ranks of the police force.
The episode was rated 8.44 from 251 votes.
