Michael Caine And Jane Seymour's '80s CBS Miniseries Explored An Infamous Serial Killer

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Back in October 1988, CBS and Thames Television joined forces for "Jack the Ripper," a two-part miniseries that promised to finally lift the veil on London's most infamous unidentified murderer. Helmed by David Wickes, he crime drama miniseries, also had some Hollywood heavyweights attached: Sir Michael Caine was Inspector Frederick Abberline, the real-life Scotland Yard detective tasked with hunting down the killer, while "Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman" alum Jane Seymour co-starred as newspaper artist Emma Prentiss.

For Caine, taking the gig meant breaking one of his own rules against doing television work. During the making of "Jack the Ripper," the actor chatted with Thames News about what drew him to the role. "He got a lot of flack from all sides, from everybody, because people were trying to cover up for the guy who actually did it," Caine explained. "But he was a truly dedicated copper and I really, really loved the guy — that's why I wanted to play him." At the time, production was so shrouded in secrecy, even its lead actor was kept in the dark about the big reveal. "When I got this script, I thought, 'Right, now I'm really going to find out,'" Caine recalled. "And at the end, it said: 'Two scenes missing.' So, I don't even know!"

As for his paycheck, breaking his no-TV rule came with a hefty sum. Caine told Thames that he asked for "as much as I could get!" and noted he "got a raise" over his earlier TV work. He later elaborated in his memoir, "What's It All About?" (via Film Stories), that having an American television company attached meant he "received the same fee as I would have for making a film." Jane Seymour, who played the love interest, also has fond memories of working alongside Caine on set. The "Harry Wild" star told The A.V. Club (per Internet Archive) that the whole experience "was fun." She also chimed in about Caine's reputation for speed and efficiency: "They didn't tell me that he literally liked to do one take and then go and have lunch with his wife." She also noted that he never messed up.

In the end, taking on the TV project proved to be a good move for Caine. The actor reflected on the fact that "Jack the Ripper" was a hit with audiences and critics in "What's It All About?" In Britain, the miniseries scored the highest viewing figures on television except for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, even knocking a long-running soap opera out of its top rating spot for the first time in over 20 years. Caine's performance also earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television.