The drama chronicling the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper includes Toby Jones, David Morrissey, Katherine Kelly and Daniel Mays.
Updated 01/09/23: ITV deliver the trailer for its intense new drama The Long Shadow.
With a stellar cast, the series chronicles the hunt to catch the Yorkshire Ripper – the biggest manhunt in British history.
There’s still no specific information on when the show begins, other than sometime in “September 2023”.
ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill, who commissioned the drama said:
“George’s scripts and Lewis’ direction together with this wonderful cast have produced a sensitive and brilliant drama that we are proud to have on ITV.”
Executive producer Willow Grylls added:
“George Kay, Lewis Arnold and an exceptional cast have bought to life an important event drama that is as tragically resonant today as it was over 40 years ago.”
We’ll keep you posted and you can check out the cast details below.
Original article (of 10/08/23) follows…
The Long Shadow – cast confirmed for ITV’s true-crime drama
ITV have announced the cast for its upcoming drama about the five-year hunt for the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe.
The 7-part drama is described as the definitive depiction of the case, sensitively focussing on the lives of the victims who crossed his path and those of the officers at the heart of the police investigation.
Meticulously researched, the series draws upon hundreds of case files, interview transcripts and police reports. It’s also based on Wicked Beyond Belief, Michael Bilton’s critically acclaimed account of the case. The writer is George Kay (Hijack, Criminal: UK) and the director is Lewis Arnold (Time, Des).
The synopsis for The Long Shadow says:
One murder has the power to cast a long shadow and this case plunged a whole society into darkness. For every victim, there were friends and loved ones. For every police officer, there was the burden of failure – of near misses and guilt – and the knowledge that as they failed to find their man, more women continued to suffer. The impact on the lives of those who live on after the death of their loved one remains to this day. Those who cannot escape what happened, who must sit with their incomprehensible trauma for decades after, enduring their own life sentences.
With people today holding to account the institutional foundations that foster misogyny, racism, and violence against women, The Long Shadow will speak to the societal issues of the past whilst highlighting alarming parallels between these terrible crimes and tragic events in our more recent history.
The cast
Toby Jones plays DCS Dennis Hoban, who initially led the enquiry, with David Morrissey as DCS George Oldfield, who famously took on the investigation.
Lee Ingleby is DCS Jim Hobson, whilst Katherine Kelly plays Emily Jackson. Daniel Mays is her husband, Sydney Jackson and Shaun Thomas plays their son, Neil Jackson.
Jill Halfpenny plays Doreen Hill, with Daisy Waterstone as her daughter, Jacqueline Hill. Jasmine Lee-Jones plays Marcella Claxton, Molly Wright as Donna Deangelo, Liz White as PS Meg Winterburn and Shaun Dooley as DCS Chris Gregg.
The wider ensemble also includes Alexa Davies, Chloe Harris, Stephen Tompkinson, Jack Deam, Michael McElhatton, Adam Long, Ruth Madeley. Plus, Dorothy Atkinson, Rob James-Collier, Charley Webb, Steven Waddington and Kris Hitchen.
The Long Shadow is executive produced by New Pictures co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Willow Grylls. The producer is Matt Sandford, series producer is Sarah Lewis, and co-producer is Alison Matthews. George Kay, Lewis Arnold and Elaine Pyke also serve as executive producers.
The drama airs on ITV and ITVX in September 2023.