Yorkshire Ripper Drama 'The Long Shadow' Will Premiere on Sundance Now In November
American streamer Sundance Now will introduce audiences to the story of the infamous Yorkshire Ripper with true crime drama The Long Shadow. The seven-part series will premiere in November and promises to bring a new perspective to this well-documented story by grounding its depiction of a killer's terrible crimes in the very human lives of those who were most harmed.
The drama focuses on the five-year hunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. The name "Yorkshire Ripper" is, of course, a reference to the infamous Jack the Ripper and reflects Sutcliffe's similar focus on women, particularly those in red-light districts. Like his predecessor, he was likely drawn to both the vulnerability of the sex workers and poor residents of these areas, as well as the perceived police disinterest in the safety of these people. He was ultimately arrested in 1981 and sentenced to twenty concurrent sentences of life in prison, which were ultimately converted to a whole life order (i.e. a life sentence without any possibility of parole or conditional release) in 2010.
Meticulously researched, the series is based on Wicked Beyond Belief, Michael Bilton’s critically acclaimed account of the case, as well as hundreds of case files, interview transcripts, and police reports from the archive of the investigation. Like many current true crime dramas focused on serial killers from the late 20th century in both the U.S. and the U.K., The Long Shadow is attempting to adapt its story with an eye to prioritizing victims' perspectives rather than the darker, more sensationalistic aspects of their deaths. The series title, in fact, comes from the idea that one murder has the power to cast a long shadow, devastating families and loved ones, leaving them to deal with unimaginable trauma for decades afterward and often plunging a whole society into darkness and fear.
