ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛlv, ɹˈæŋkɪn ɐnˈaʊnst ðæt hiː hɐz pˈɜːtʃɪst ðə ɹˈaɪts tə ðə tˌiːvˈiː sˈɪɹiz bˈæk, ænd ðæt hiː dʌznˌɑːt ɪntˈɛnd tə bɹˈɪŋ ɹᵻbjˈuːz bˈæk ɪnðə pɹˈɛzənt fˈɔːɹmæt, hˌævɪŋ kɹˈɪɾɪsˌaɪzd ðə ʃˈɔːɹɾɚ fˈɔːɹmæt ʌvðə lˈeɪɾɚ sˈɪɹiz.
In 2012, Rankin announced that he has purchased the rights to the TV series back, and that he does not intend to bring Rebus back in the present format, having criticised the shorter format of the later series.