The Long Shadow occasionally dips into the truth of its titular serial killer. With British television drama The Long Shadow premiered in 2023. Provided a more nuanced exploration of Peter Sutcliffe also known as the Yorkshire Ripper. The seven-part drama looks at Sutcliffe’s victims, including Wilma McCann, and the massive police hunt for him, taking place between 1975 and 1980.
Peter Sutcliffe: The Yorkshire Ripper
Reckless Peter Sutcliffe went on a five-year murder spree. Killing 13 women and attempting to kill an additional seven throughout the north of England. Sutcliffe, who became a lorry driver, was born in 1946 in Bingley, West Yorkshire. His crimes sent shockwaves across the region, causing one of the largest manhunts in British history. His M.O. was to use a hammer to bludgeon his victim, and then stab or slash the woman sometimes with a screwdriver instead of a knife. Many of his victims were either from crime slums. Which are not automatically looked for by police or otherwise vulnerable, including sex workers.
Wilma McCann: The First Victim
Wilma McCann, 28, became the first confirmed murder victim of Sutcliffe on 30 October 1975. McCann, a Leeds mother-of-four, was assaulted after a night out. Sutcliffe hit her on the back of the head twice and perpetrated multiple stab wounds. Her remains were found in playing fields close to her house. It was the first of many murders by Sutcliffe and this left a reign of terror in the town.
The Police Investigation
This complex (and often criticized) police operation started with the investigation into the murder of Wilma McCann. Detectives carried out thousands of interviews and gathered huge amounts of evidence, but Sutcliffe was able to escape capture for so long. Their treatment of the case, particularly their attitudes towards some of the victims. Many of whom were sex workers, were also widely condemned. This bias meant that opportunities were missed and Sutcliffe was free for longer than he should have been.
Television Adaptation: The Long Shadow
We do not want to send the message The Long Shadow is doing regarding these events. The hope is that the series shifts away from Sutcliffe and onto his victims. Illustrating how his crimes affected their families and communities. Other cast members include Toby Jones as DCS Dennis Hoban, the officer who spearheaded the investigation at the time, and Katherine Kelly as Emily Jackson, Sutcliffe’s second victim. The series received acclaim for its poignant representation of the victims as well as a critique of the societal attitudes that compromised the investigation.
What You Need to Know
More recently, though, more attention has been paid to Peter Sutcliffe’s victims. Families have demanded that more should be done to remember their loved ones as individuals rather than just the legacies associated with the Yorkshire Ripper. Wilma McCann’s son, Richard McCann, has been keen to ensure that his mother is remembered as something other than a victim. Sutcliffe passed away in 2020, and he has since said that it also felt like a relief for him.
Since the release of “The Long Shadow,” debate has been reignited around media representations of true crime stories. The series has been praised by critics for moving the focus of the narrative from seemingly the predator to their victims, presenting a more respectful humanizing representation. As with a trend in true crime storytelling devoted to memorializing victims and dismantling the cycles that made such violence possible in the first place, this approach feels
