The BBC cancelled Ripper Street last year due to poor ratings but there will be a third season after all. Amazon has partnered with the BBC to revive the period crime drama. Filming of season three will begin in May.

The new season will be offered exclusively in the UK on Prime Instant Video before screening on BBC1 a few months later. Amazon’s service will also stream the first two seasons.

The show airs on BBC America here in the States. The second season began airing on February 22nd. Based on the press release, I suspect that season three will be made available on Amazon first and will then be aired on BBC America. I’m sure additional details will be released in the future.

Here’s the official press release:

Amazon Secures Exclusive Rights To Critically Acclaimed British Drama Ripper Street For Amazon Prime Instant Video – The UK’s Largest Subscription Movie And TV Streaming Service Launching Today

LONDON, February 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ —

Amazon continues to invest heavily in exclusive content for Prime customers – Amazon Prime Instant Video will be the only subscription service in the UK where members can view the first two seasons of the ground-breaking British drama Ripper Street

Millions of Ripper Street fans set to be delighted as Amazon commissions a third season of the critically-acclaimed period crime drama, exclusively available in the UK on Amazon Prime Instant Video, followed by broadcast on the BBC

Amazon Prime Instant Video offers unlimited access to the UK’s largest subscription streaming library – featuring more than 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes following the launch of the service today.

Amazon has today launched its Prime Instant Video service, where Prime subscribers now have access to the UK’s largest unlimited subscription streaming service of more than 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes in addition to unlimited One-Day Delivery on over 7 million items and access to 500,000 Kindle books to borrow for just £79 a year.

In addition to the hundreds of movies and TV shows available exclusively to Amazon Prime members, such as The Hangover Part II, One Direction: This Is Us, and hit Amazon Studios comedy series Alpha House starring John Goodman, Amazon has today announced further investment into exclusive and original content in a landmark deal that sees the company acquire UK subscription streaming rights to critically acclaimed BBC period crime drama Ripper Street – voted the best show of 2013 by Radio Times readers.

Amazon will commission from the producers, Tiger Aspect Productions and Lookout Point, a third series of Ripper Street, with brand new episodes made available exclusively to Amazon Prime Instant Video members. The series will continue to be co-produced in the US by BBC America and will screen on BBC1 a few months after it is available on Amazon in the UK. It will be distributed globally by BBC Worldwide. Filming will begin in May 2014, signaling Amazon’s commitment to the production of one of last year’s most highly regarded series, in a move that is sure to delight Ripper Street’s huge global fan base.

Prime Instant Video will also be the only subscription service in the UK where TV fans can watch the first two series of the critically acclaimed drama, viewed by millions on BBC1. From today, followers of the award-winning and BAFTA nominated show will be able to stream all eight episodes of series one in full high definition, with the entirety of the second series to follow soon after – giving viewers the chance to fully immerse themselves in this captivating crime drama inspired by life in London’s Whitechapel in the late 19th century.

“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. “Prime Instant Video offers our customers the largest subscription streaming service in the UK with over 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes, many of which are exclusive to the service, and we’re just getting started.”

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.”

Ripper Street follows the notorious H Division, the Police Precinct charged with keeping order on the meanest streets imaginable: late Victorian Whitechapel. It is a series of one-hour thrillers that transport audiences into the dark heart of London as it stumbles toward the Twentieth Century.

Starring Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks, Robin Hood), Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones),Adam Rothenberg (Alcatraz), MyAnna Buring (The Descent, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II) and created by BAFTA nominated Richard Warlow, (Waking the Dead, Mistresses), it is a vivid, sensual and violent drama that explores the lives of those who have seen the worst of humankind, but who nonetheless struggle each day to bring law to the lawless.

Another generation of viewers will now be introduced to life on Ripper Street, and both new and existing fans can enjoy series one and two on Amazon Prime Instant Video from the beginning.

What do you think? Are you glad to hear that Ripper Street has been revived? Will you watch on Amazon’s player or wait for it to become available elsewhere?