Le retour de Jack l'éventreur

Whitechapel on paper seemed as an interesting idea to work from, and in reality it was like that exactly. Some of the character development may come across as rather hackneyed at some points, but what made Whitechapel work especially for me was its atmosphere. The atmosphere is resolutely creepy and gripping, and this is helped by some top notch production values and haunting music.

The writing is thoughtful and well written and the story lines are always compelling and well paced with some genuinely shocking scenes to boot. The direction is taut, and the acting is another high point of Whitechapel, Rupert Penry-Jones is spot on, a more cold and cynical Phil Davis is perfectly cast and Steve Pemberton steals every time he's in with a performance that is both creepy and sympathetic at the same time.

Overall, a gripping and quite excellent series. 9/10 Bethany Cox

For some reason, it seems older than it is. As if it were done in the late 90s or early 2000s instead of later. Lots of good stories and characters and side stories, but the thing that cost it a star for me was the fancy schmancy camera work that almost gives me an epilepsy attack. It's all whishy when there's no need for it other than someone with a new toy. I like that the cops are real and we get to know some of them on a more complex level.

The seasons are short - 3 episodes - so don't get too comfortable. This is a good binge program.

Most police dramas follow the same formulas, and rely on good acting, solid writing, crisp direction -- if they work, which most don't. Whitechapel breaks the mold. It is possibly the most imaginative police drama ever made, combining odd procedural elements with fantasy, relying on history and facts, creating characters unlike any others in similar shows, and basically inventing a world that is both believable and extraordinary. On top of that, the acting is superb, especially the wonderfully named Rupert Penry-Jones, but all the others are excellent too. So sad it only lasted four seasons. A police show like no other.

Amazing TV series! I remember watching it 7 years ago and to this day, I wish it wasn't axed by ITV! The cliff hanger they left us on at the end of Season 4 was criminal. I still hope another streaming channel (preferably Netflix) picks it up and continues it, has so much potential!

Would've been 10/10 had it not been axed on such a cliff hanger!

This is something a bit different from the usual police procedural and it works very well because of the stylish and stylised direction and some great acting. The different sides of policing are painted with a broad brush but are essentially true, from the squad-room boys' club to the top brass—all management-speak plus old boys' network. Anyone who works in a company, private or public, of any scale, has seen these in action even today!

Phil Davis is cast very much to type as the cynical, angry, working policeman but the twist here is that he is the one who makes major mistakes every time about the perpetrator of the crimes and the possible suspects.

Steve Pemberton manages to be creepy and sympathetic at the same time.

Rupert Penry-Jones' subtle and far-from-heroic presentation of the "useless" plastic fast-tracker is spot-on, as is his gradual realisation that he's out of his depth and is being cast adrift by his "puppetmasters". He's been brilliant at the slow transformation into a real investigator, going with his instincts instead of by the book. It's a very unshowy but intense and believable performance and one of his best to date. The premise is highly imaginative by its nature but the mix of factual background and stylised dramatisation is so effective because it exercises the imagination. So many people, on the net and round the water-cooler, are talking about this drama, who dunnit and how the main characters are going to pan out, whether successful or failed or shattered. That's the mark of a really successful piece of TV!