The Long Shadow

[francypants]

This series is a bit different though because it is focusing more on the families affected rather than just Sutcliffe himself.

[Guest]

On 26/09/2023 at 12:08, Mister M said:

The first episode was very good, and when the character of Peter Sutcliffe was briefly introduced in the pub, I felt a chill go up my spine. The actor who played him has an uncanny resemblance, though he wasn't the focus of the drama. The acting and period features of 1970s West Yorkshire were spot on.

There was a Guardian opinion piece last week from their north of England correspondent that argued that the drama isn't authentic because the writer is yet another privately educated man from the south instead of someone who grew up in the community: ITV’s new Yorkshire Ripper drama is yet another ‘authentic’ northern tragedy told by a posh, southern voice.

 

The piece also states that people up here are sick of dredging up the past, and suggests that it fails in its intention to focus on the victims' stories by centring instead on policemen tormented by their own failure.  In addition, it promotes the 'bad apple' narrative instead of emphasising the institutionalised misogyny that was even more prevalent in the police force of the 70s than it is today.

 

This northerner hasn't seen the programme, and I thought that the article seemed like the usual Guardian clickbaity copy, but wondered if any of that rang a bell for those who did tune in.

[hauxwell]

I’ve watched the first two episodes and I thought it was good.

I’m sure at the end of episode two it was announced that all episodes are now available
 to watch on  itvx.  

 

[Fiat500]

Watched the full series on ITVX. It was an excellent series. It did not focus as much on Sutcliffe but on the victims families and the survivors of his attacks.  It showed up the incompetence of the West Yorkshire police at the time, how the the older officers didn't listen to younger ones.  How sexist the police force were at the time. Thanks goes to the Sheffield Police who got him in the end.

[PRESLEY]

A great effort recreating the 70s era with the clothes, the hair styles and the furniture and the cars but something which nothing can be done about is the thing that  caught my eye was 90% of all the houses had upvc windows which actually didn't boom till the mid eighties and that was mainly private properties, council house were done in force well later,  Aluminium frames came first in the 70s,  its just something I noticed,    no big gripe.