The Long Shadow (TV series)

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 2023.

Production
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
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.

Broadcast
The series is to be 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.

Reception
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."

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