Why murders aren't shown in Yorkshire Ripper series

For years, Peter Sutcliffe wreaked havoc across the north of England, leaving death and destruction in his wake.

Between 1975 and 1980, the lorry driver murdered 13 women and attempted to kill over half a dozen more. The Long Shadow tells the story of that terrifying period:

During that time, the vicious killer, who eluded police and terrified millions, became known as the Yorkshire Ripper.

A new seven-part series, which premieres this week, focuses on the victims of Sutcliffe's heinous crimes, and the detectives who tried to track him down.

Speaking to LADbible about The Long Shadow, director Lewis Arnold (Time, Des) explained that with it being a true story, he and his crew were always conscious of the impact reliving those crimes decades on could have on the family and friends of Sutcliffe's victims.

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While true crime documentaries and dramas are seemingly on every channel these days, each more violent and graphic than the next, the same cannot be said for The Long Shadow.

And Arnold says that's how it had to be.

"The only people who know what happened on those nights and those events are, unfortunately, the victims and the the person responsible," he tells us.

"And it would just be wrong to go there and would do a disservice to the people who live through it.

"So it's about trying to find a way to tell these stories that feels authentic and truthful but also respectful.

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"I think a lot of these dramas I tried to... as you go through the process, me and the team try to imagine that at some point you're going to have to sit down possibly with the people you're reflecting, and are you comfortable to sit down and watch the show with the people you're reflecting on screen?

"And if at any point a scene or something makes you feel uncomfortable in that moment, then you know you have to address what it is that's making you feel uncomfortable."

The Long Shadow boasts and all star cast, with Toby Jones playing DCS Dennis Hoban, who initially led the enquiry, with David Morrissey taking the role of DCS George Oldfield, who eventually took over the investigation.

The cast also includes Alexa Davies, Chloe Harris, Stephen Tompkinson, Jack Deam, Michael McElhatton, Adam Long, Ruth Madeley, Dorothy Atkinson, Rob James-Collier, Charley Webb, Steven Waddington and Kris Hitchen.

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The script was written by George Kay, who previously worked on Killing Eve.

Arnold tells us that he never planned on working on another true crime series after Des, which saw David Tennent play serial killer, Dennis Nilsen, but was blown away by the screenplay.

"My instinct wasn't to do it," he explains. "Having done Des, Time, and Sherwood, I didn't really feel like I wanted to do another show that dealt with the darkest side of the human condition, and also, the social economical politics felt similar to things I've done recently.

"And then I read the scripts, and I think I was so bowled over by the humanity, and the way George had framed the show around the victims."

The Long Shadow will premiere on ITV at 9pm on Monday (25 September).