THE LONG SHADOW - mon 9pm ITV. TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

The Long Shadow is a seven-part series that will start at 9pm on Monday September 25 2023 on ITV1, with subsequent episodes broadcast every Monday evening from thereon.

The Long Shadow is based in part on Wicked Beyond Belief by Michael Bilton, a critically acclaimed account of the case. It sensitively tells the stories of the victims who crossed Sutcliffe’s path, as well as their families and survivors. It also highlights alarming parallels between the so-called Yorkshire Ripper’s terrible crimes and tragic events in our more recent history.

Between 1975 and 1980, Peter Sutcliffe terrorised Yorkshire in a killing spree that left 13 women dead and seven others lucky to be alive after they managed to survive his brutal attacks.

His horrific crimes left a deep scar on the nation’s psyche and have been the subject of numerous films and documentaries, but the grief and pain that continues to be felt by his victims’ families is often forgotten.

Opening in October 1975, with the murder of Wilma McCann, a mother of four young children from Leeds, this week’s first episode goes on to follow the story of Sydney Jackson and his wife Emily, who would be Sutcliffe’s second victim.

Like many people in Britain during the period, the Jacksons were struggling to make ends meet in tough economic times, and Emily made the difficult decision to become a part-time sex worker in a bid to support their three children.

The police initially suspect Sydney of killing his wife, until it soon becomes clear the two murders are linked – and the start of a terrifying killing spree.

As the series progresses, Sutcliffe’s crimes launch the biggest police manhunt Britain has ever seen, but many of the detectives harbour misogynistic attitudes that hamper their investigation.

However, one detective who understands the situation is DCS Dennis Hoban (Toby Jones) who takes up the case in its early stages.
Sutcliffe avoided detection for years due to a series of missed chances by police to catch him. He eventually confessed in 1981 after a police check discovered stolen number plates on his car

The cast is amazing

•	Toby Jones (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Jones)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Jones)</a> as DCS Dennis Hoban
•	David Morrissey (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Morrissey)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Morrissey)</a> as DCS George Oldfield
•	Daniel Mays (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Mays)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Mays)</a> as Sydney Jackson
•	Lee Ingleby (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ingleby)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ingleby)</a> as DCS Jim Hobson
•	Katherine Kelly (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Kelly_(actress))" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Kelly_(actress))</a> as Emily Jackson
•	Shaun Dooley (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Dooley)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Dooley)</a> as DCS Chris Gregg
•	Daisy Waterstone (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Waterstone)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Waterstone)</a> as Jacqueline Hill
•	Jill Halfpenny (<a class="break-all" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Halfpenny)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Halfpenny)</a>

as Doreen Hill

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Jasmine Lee-Jones as Marcella Claxton

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Molly Wright (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Wright_(actress))
as Donna Deangelo

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Liz White (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_White_(actress))
as PS Meg Winterburn

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Mark Stobbart as
Peter Sutcliffe (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sutcliffe)

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Alexa Davies (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexa_Davies)

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Chloe Harris

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Stephen Tompkinson (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Tompkinson)

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Jack Deam (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Deam)

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Michael McElhatton (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McElhatton)

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Adam Long (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Long_(British_actor))

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Ruth Madeley (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Madeley)

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Dorothy Atkinson (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Atkinson)

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Rob James-Collier (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_James-Collier)

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Charley Webb (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Webb)

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Steven Waddington (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Waddington)

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Kris Hitchen

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Victoria Myers
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Your tv call as requested 😂😂

I’ve been reading about this. Stellar cast. But it’s going to be hard to watch

Also I think ITV are keeping it weekly and not dropping the whole lot on ITVX. Blondes will be pleased

There was already a thread about this, on page 1 of Telly Addicts:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4897926-the-long-shadow-itv1-monday-september-25th-at-9pm?reply=129317671

I lived in fear.
My sister was a secretary on the case.
( We live/ lived in West Yorkshire.

I remember these times 😰

Huge , well known cast . The true life [mostly] dramas are interesting especially if you know a bit about them .

Thank you for the heads up @Blondeshavemorefun.

I was a student in Leeds at the time.

I vividly remember the evening that the news of the murdered student broke. I had left home early to go to one of the societies that I belonged to and walked from the bus stop through the dark grounds of the campus in Headingly to meet the others.

When I arrived everyone's mouth dropped open and they asked how I had got there. When I told them they were shocked. "Haven't you heard the news?" they said. This memory will be forever imprinted on my brain.

I ended up with three of us crammed into a telephone box so that I could ring DH (then boyfriend) saying that he needed to collect me in the car.

The next evening when on the phone to my parents my mum said "your dad wants you to come home". I'm sure many parents felt the same.

None of the girls went back to the society after that as we were terrified of going out after dark.

All late seminars and lectures were rearrranged so that nothing ran after 4, and those of us who commuted in by train all walked down to the station together.

And those bloody George tapes meant that so many men I knew got stopped by the police so many times, especially those with accents from the north east (including DH).

Then when he was caught I remember the euphoria we all felt.

I simply cannot describe just how awful it was to be a female student in Leeds back then. I will never forget that period of time.

Thanks Blondes

And those bloody George tapes meant that so many men I knew got stopped by the police so many times, especially those with accents from the north east (including DH).

Largely because that stupid, tw@t of a detective (George something-or-other) wanted to be the one to catch the killer before he retired - from everything I've read and seen he got totally blinkered and wouldn't take suggestions from anyone else. He was ill himself, I think, and should have handed it over to someone else, but from what I've read was determined to do it himself.

Women died because of his stupid obsession.

Oh bugger - is there ? . I didn't see it when did the thread

Might have been down some pages

Post here or on other one

I'm happy either way

Usually a few threads about programmes at the same time

Yep !!!

No bingers here 😁

Great cast!

I have relatives that lived in the area at the time and they still talk about how awful it was.

And how good that itv aren't allowing bingers!

Thank you! Will definitely be watching this.

Thank you for including me again @Blondeshavemorefun

Looking forward to this tonight - excellent cast.

Will definitely watch this and leave Inheritance for tomorrow. No comparison.

Starts now

I'm in..

That must have been a really frightening experience @RampantIvy . I’m watching now. The Emily Jackson case was a really sad one (obviously they all were.)

Def frightening @RampantIvy

I will watch this tomorow

What did everyone think of it?

I watched it, I thought it was well done...hard to watch at times.

I thought it was really well done and made a change from all the true crime stories that focus on how fascinating men who hate women are.

I was young at the time, primary school age, and the ripper was like a boogeyman figure. Lots of talk in the playground about the gruesome things he did, plus I remember thinking that the women themselves were somehow shocking figures - the reports focused on them being prostitutes and how they were out alone at night - there was definitely victim blaming and a certain salacious prurient undertone. Not that I could articulate it in that way, being so young. But the overall message I got was that women who behaved in an immoral way were at imminent risk of being horribly murdered, and that walking around alone in the dark was immoral and also dangerous.

So recent moves like this series to focus on the women's stories are very necessary and long overdue.