Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

The Long Shadow (TV series)


The Long Shadow
Promotional poster
True crime drama
Wicked Beyond Beliefby Michael Bilton
George Kay
Lewis Arnold
.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}
Toby Jones
David Morrissey
Daniel Mays
Katherine Kelly
Sarah Warne
United Kingdom
English
7
Elaine Pyke
George Kay
Lewis Arnold
Willow Grylls
Matt Sanford
Versa Studios, Leeds, United Kingdom
New Pictures
Sundance Now
All3Media
ITV
25 September (2023-09-25) –6 November 2023 (2023-11-06)

The Long Shadow is a seven-part British true crime drama television series, written by George Kay and directed by Lewis Arnold. The series details the five-year manhunt for the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, commonly referred to as the Yorkshire Ripper. The series began airing on ITV1 on 25 September and concluded on 6 November 2023.

No.Directed byWritten byOriginal release dateViewers(millions)
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay25 September 2023 (2023-09-25)4.31
The police struggle to find the murderer of a woman in Leeds and a married mother has to make a difficult decision. Guest cast: Ben Cartwright as Michael Baxter, Alexa Goodall as Sonia McCann, Dylan Hall as Richard McCann, Katherine Kelly as Emily Jackson, Brian McCardie as Steve Rawton, Gemma Laurie as Wilma McCann, Michael Parr as Paul Hughe, Rebecca Hanssen as Pat Jackson, Melanie Kilburn as Auntie Win, Joe Hughes as Eddie Brown
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay2 October 2023 (2023-10-02)4.90
The police have arrested who they think is the murderer but find that the murders have continued. As they face the fact that there could be more than one killer, a survivor gives testimony that could change what they think they know. Guest cast: Ruth Madeley as WPC Judy Womack, Molly Vevers as Irene Richardson, Prisca Bakare as Maggie Shaw, Rosa Hesmondhalgh as Pam Hartwell, Kirsty Mather as Paula Dodd, Damien Matthews as James Coverdale, Rakhee Sharma as Beverley Dennings
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay9 October 2023 (2023-10-09)5.06
Guest cast: Liam Ainsworth as Clifford Williams, Nigel Betts as Dr Alan Caplin, Natalie Gavin as Georgie Showalter, Sophie Hopkins as Patricia Atkinson, Asif Khan as Ali Jafari, Andrew Knott as Angus Brownley, Cara Theobold as WPC Jill Adams, Molly Wright as Donna Deangelo, Rob Norbury as Mark Peterborough, Michael Hawkins as Nigel Desford
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay16 October 2023 (2023-10-16)5.52
Guest cast: Harry Egan as Eamon Lister, Jumayn Hunter as Leroy Reid, Mark Jordon as Ray Wood, Ian Lloyd Anderson as Terrence Hawkshaw, Sophie Powles as Samantha Davies, Yasmin Taheri as Lizzie Deacon, Nicola Sloane as Elsie Hawkshaw
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay23 October 2023 (2023-10-23)5.61
Guest cast: Emily Coates as Tracy Browne, Jonathan Coy as Howard Cohen, Orla Fitzgerald as Anna Rogulskyj, Mark Frost as Nick Clarke, Lucie Shorthouse as Cindy Thornbury, Lee Harding as Ben Henderson, Lucy Black as Nora Browne
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay30 October 2023 (2023-10-30)5.66
Guest cast: Craig Anthony-Kelly as James Amberley, Ray Ashcroft as Mr Neal, Kya Brame as Mary Knight, Julian Kay as Dylan Parker, Naomi Radcliffe as Mrs Ashworth, James Dryden as Leonard Symes, Alexander Forsyth as Jack Windsor Lewis, Leah Walker as Olivia Relvers, Neil McKinven as Sir David McNee
Lewis ArnoldGeorge Kay6 November 2023 (2023-11-06)6.16
Guest cast: Shaun Dooley as DCS Chris Gregg, Adam James as Desmond Wilcox, Calam Lynch as PC Robert Hydes, Jason Done as DS Des O'Doyle

Screenwriter George Kay used the Michael Bilton 2003 book Wicked Beyond Belief combined with case files, interview transcripts, and police reports, to pen the series. The series is produced by New Pictures for ITVX and directed by Lewis Arnold. It is also made in association with Sundance Now who have exclusive rights in North America, and All3Media International are distributing the series internationally. Willow Grylls is executive producer alongside Kay, Arnold and Elaine Pyke. The series is produced by Matt Sandford, series produced by Sarah Lewis and co-produced by Alison Matthews.

Filming took place in Yorkshire in June and July 2022, with filming locations including Wortley, Leeds, Dewsbury, York and a residential property on Langford Lane in Burley-in-Wharfedale, near Ilkley.

The series was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV1, STV, and ITVX on 25 September 2023. A trailer was revealed on 31 August. On 2 October 2023, all episodes were released early on ITVX and the STV Player.

In The Guardian, Lucy Mangan praised the series not focusing on the perpetrator: "the attention is on the women. Specifically, the living women. And, when they are gone, the people they leave behind." She also says: "We have come to expect virulent misogyny and racism to be on show in dramas set in earlier decades and involving the police – or any other unwieldy, male-dominated institution – but The Long Shadow succeeds in embedding it more quietly but firmly. It is a way of life, a way of thinking rather than a succession of big instances."

In March 2024, the series was nominated in the Best Limited Drama category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.

  • The Long Shadow at IMDb
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about The Long Shadow (TV series) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report