The Long Shadow

The Long Shadow was unavoidably harrowing and bleak, but it was also brilliant. It is set to be one of the dramas of the year.

Toby Jones is convincing as the awkward workaholic DCS Dennis Hoban. We got only a taste of David Morrissey as ACC George Oldfield, who later took over the investigation (and became convinced the "Wearside Jack" hoax tape was genuine), but he's already a hefty presence. For women in the north these murders left a deep scar on the collective psyche. Whether we needed a drama about it in 2023 is debatable, but those poor women are at least treated with respect.

The Long Shadow is a considered, unsensational handling of a story steeped in tabloid headlines, made all the more chilling by the fact that we know what is to come.

The police investigation weaves round the women's stories, and although it hits many familiar beats, the quality of the writing and presence of the likes of Toby Jones, David Morrissey and Lee Ingleby as the various detectives in charge over the years means that this too is better done than usual.

This engrossing limited series recognizes that such tales are less about their specific fiends and more about ingrained misogyny and the lasting damage it causes women.

The Long Shadow has enough strong moments and fine performances to keep me invested. As a revolutionary shakeup of the true crime genre, it’s less convincing.

The Long Shadow’s title speaks to the legacy of violence, its impact through the generations. But, in reality, the show dedicates only its final ten minutes to this question. The longest shadow cast here is actually the continued fixation with the gory details, one that has a stranglehold over a nation of Ripperologists.