The Long Shadow

Unusual, I guess, to see a seven-part TV mini-series but that was the slightly unusual format for this latest dramatisation of the infamous Yorkshire Ripper murders of the late 70's and early 80's committed by the evil Peter Sutcliffe.

This time, the point of view is switched to mainly focus on those of the victims and their families and to a lesser extent, those also of the police Investigators and their families. None of the murders are re-enacted and Sutcliffe himself doesn't actually appear at all until midway through the second last episode.

This approach for me worked, with the viewer sharing the increasing dread of the local female population of the killer's locale as he brutally slaughtered 13 women and injured 7 others (with rumours of more in the background) in the county over a five year period before a routine car number-plate check and the quick-thinking of an on-duty cop to return to the scene of the apprehension found Sutcliffe's "tools" and nailed him as the perpetrator.

The production did a good job of recreating the era with accurate depictions of the interiors of police stations, social clubs and various people's houses, as well as the cars and fashions of the day. It also didn't shy away from exposing some of the cheap and lazy prevailing attitudes of the day which certainly seemed to colour the outlook of the police who initially seemed to disparage the plights of the growing numbers of victims because they were mostly female prostitutes.

The usually sad circumstances which forced these women to take to the streets strongly colour the early episodes with a different reason shown for every one of them. We see one survivor of a Sutcliffe attack refuse to go public in case she's identified by family, friends and colleagues as a potential prostitute, again reflecting the low perception of the women who have turned to the streets only out of dire financial need, selling themselves for as little as £5 a time.

But if these women are at last shown with overdue retrospective sympathy and understanding, the same can't be said of the pursuing police. Confused, lazy, presumptive, disorganised and often prejudicial, their years and years of failure are artfully signposted on-screen by discreetly placed time markers. Their antiquated index-card system is exposed as being wholly inadequate to cope with the threat of a serial-killer, as we learn that Sutcliffe'was interviewed several times during the investigation with his recorded links to the murders buried away in mounds of paper-work. And that's before the police made probably their biggest mistake of the whole case, being led completely astray by a callous hoaxer with a Wearside accent who wasted who knows how much time and resources in his pursuit, but who in a postscript we gratifyingly learn was eventually tracked down and convicted for wasting police time.

The ensemble acting throughout was of a high standard with the actor portraying Sutcliffe himself bearing an uncanny resemblance to the real thing and convincing the viewer of the ordinary, everyday anonymity which worked in his favour for so long.

Unsensational, realistic and compelling but above all humanely told, this did feel like the definitive dramatisation of the horrific crimes of one of Britain's worst-ever serial-killers.

A superb addition to the existing ripper dramas and documentaries as this shows a new perspective, as it features back stories for the victims, an area that has been neglected, and provides a lot of details which are new to me. It also shows the incompetence and sexism of the police as well as the difficulties and limits of their capabilities. For example the desperation of sitting in cars taking registrations takes me back as I was interviewed at the time (having innocently driven though the areas of interest). It was a harrowing time for everybody who lived in the area and this is depicted well.

The shows creators have made an admirable decision in approaching this story from the viewpoint of the women who were murdered and their loved ones and the botched investigation - rather than a re-enactment that gives face time to their twisted killer.

As someone who was a teenager at the time I can remember how huge the impact of this long running crime spree was - and in retrospect how badly the victims were mistreated not just by their fates but by the misogyny and prejudices of the media and the police and sections of the general public at the time.

This series does its best to give them a voice and importance that was denied to them at the time and deserves to be commended.

Production values were very high, period detail was excellent and it was well directed with an excellent score. The casting was superb all round and the intelligent script by George Kay was understated and let the power of the women's stories prevail as they should.

One of the best UK dramas of 2023 that raises many questions about male violence that are sadly just as valid today as they were in the 70's and 80's when these crimes took place.

The British know how to make quality drama, and this was no exception. I don't know the details of the case, and I don't know how faithful the series was to reality. Some elements and characters were obviously fictional. Since I do not know the background to the true story, I will treat this film as a cultural production of fiction.

The series was well written, directed, acted, costumed and staged. The series managed to touch on a number of interesting social issues. There was a lot of idleness in the series, but this time there were good reasons for it. It was a good illustration of how difficult an investigation can really be and how many things can actually go wrong. A look in ones perception and how deceiving it can be.

A certain idleness and prolongation underlined the frustration that the characters in the series were experiencing. It was important that this feeling was also conveyed to the audience. All in all, a series worth watching.

For many many years , really since Broadchurch, ITV has produced drivel on a regular basis, ridiculous dramas that are nothing better than day time soaps and turned off after the first episode. Finally The Long Shadow arrives and within 10 minutes the difference was there to be seen. With an absolutely stellar cast and some top drawer actors this is totally compelling stuff The subject matter is very grim but it's a story that needs to be told, especially to a generation that will have no knowledge of that era.

The victims and their families are portrayed in a sympathetic manner and all the fashions and dialogue are spot on Definitely one of the best dramas this year.