The Long Shadow is truly a British hit. The story behind The Long Shadow is the murder investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper that took place between 1975 and January 1981. The series has been dramatized, so that some people and names have been adapted or invented. What remains is an impressive look behind the scenes of one of the British police's largest manhunts. The Yorkshire Ripper is ultimately convicted of thirteen murders and seven attempted murders. The victims were always women. While it initially seemed to concern prostitutes, it later turned out that his target group was broader.
Everything has been done to give the series an authentic atmosphere.
The Long Shadow tells the story from the perspective of several women and the police. The perpetrator only comes into the picture much later. His motives are therefore not widely discussed. What does become clear is how messy the police investigation is. If the police officers involved had been sharper and much less haughty, there would have been a good chance that the perpetrator would have been arrested earlier. Now the Yorkshire Ripper has been able to run its course for several years. The Long Shadow shows painfully clearly the consequences of the police behavior in this investigation.
The choice to highlight a few female victims makes The Long Shadow even more impressive. It also shows the period in which this case takes place. Poverty and despair are often at the root of the vulnerability these women experience. Sometimes very stupid choices are made. Often with the idea that she will never be murdered or attacked. Unfortunately, the reality turns out to be different. The fact that a number of women are not taken seriously at all when they report the crime is also painfully depicted. One of the storylines is also about the consequences of this.
The choice to highlight a few female victims makes The Long Shadow even more impressive.
The creators behind this series could have chosen to portray the Yorkshire Ripper more. Anyone can look up who it is. Yet they chose not to follow the perpetrator from the start. It makes the story much more exciting. Before you watch this series, don't read everything about the Yorkshire Ripper. Then you are really taken into the disturbing story. When you know who the perpetrator is, an important part of the tension is lost. Personally, I think it is a good choice that this approach has been chosen. It does not make the perpetrator bigger than he actually is.
The Long Shadow is exactly what you would expect from a British television series. Everything has been done to give the series an authentic atmosphere. An attempt is made to capture the era of the late seventies down to the smallest detail. Clothing, the environment and the images shot. Everything contributes to it. No expense seems to have been spared when it comes to actors either. In addition to many good lesser-known actors who perform their roles well, there is also a battalion of well-known actors. They are not the least because Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Katherine Kelly (Innocent), Lee Ingleby (George Gently), David Morrisey (Britannia), Jack Deam (Shameless) and Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks) play a role.
The result is an impressive series about one of the largest manhunts by the British police for one of the biggest serial killers.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
