ITV’s new crime drama The Long Shadow continues on Monday night, telling the harrowing story of the five-year manhunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, dubbed the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ by the media.
The seven-part series follows the lives of Sutcliffe’s victims, as well as the police officers at the center of the investigation. But who plays the infamous killer in the new drama and where have you seen the actor before?
WATCH: Trailer for new ITV crime drama, The Long Shadow
Who plays Peter Sutcliffe – aka The Yorkshire Ripper – in The Long Shadow?
Mark Stobbart plays Peter Sutcliffe A long shadow.
© Dave J HoganMark Stobbart plays Peter Sutcliffe in The Long Shadow
The actor is perhaps best known for his role as DS Neil Twyler in the fourth season of BBC One’s hit police drama, Duty serviceand for his portrayal of Neil ‘Robbo’ Robson in the ITV crime drama, The hunt for Raoul Moat.
Mark is also known for his role as PC Martin Clark in the drama series, 55 degrees northwhich aired on BBC One for a year from 2004 to 2005.
© ITV/ShutterstockMark Stobbart as Robbo in The Hunt for Raoul Moat
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© BBCMark Stobbart as DS Neil Twyler on duty
Away from the cameras, Mark is married to a woman named Anna. The couple shares three young daughters.
What is the Long Shadow about?
The series details the five-year manhunt for murderer Peter Sutcliffe, who took the lives of 13 women and tried to kill seven more.
The drama is told from the perspective of the officers and victims, focusing on the impact on the lives of those affected by Sutcliffe’s crimes.
© Justin SleeKatherine Kelly as Emily Jackson’s victim in The Long Shadow
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The synopsis reads: “One murder has the power to cast a long shadow, and this case has cast an entire society into darkness,” the synopsis begins. “For every victim, there were friends and loved ones. For every police officer, there was the burden of failure—near misses and guilt—and the knowledge that because they couldn’t find their man, more women continued to suffer.
“The impact on the lives of those who live after the death of a loved one remains to this day. Those who cannot escape what happened, who have to sit with their incomprehensible trauma for decades afterwards, serving their own life sentences.”
© Justin SleeToby Jones as DCS Dennis Hoban and Lee Ingleby as DCS Jim Hobson
It continues: “With people today holding accountable the institutional foundations that encourage misogyny, racism and violence against women, The Long Shadow will speak to the social problems of the past while highlighting the alarming parallels between these terrible crimes and tragic events in our recent history.” “
Why was the title changed to The Long Shadow?
The drama was originally titled ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’ but was changed out of respect for the victims’ families.
In a Q&A ahead of the show’s premiere on ITV, writer George Kay explained the change. He said, according to Digital Spy: “We started off by calling him The Yorkshire Ripper, but we didn’t learn at first, as we did while filming the series, that the nickname was used to describe Peter Sutcliffe – which apparently started before he if anyone found out his real name, but it continued after that – it was disrespectful in many ways.”
© Justin SleeJill Halfpenny as Doreen Hill
He continued: “We’ve been working on this for four years and in that time we’ve met a lot of people in all parts of this story. We’ve tried to learn and change and understand their stories and their opinions, and that’s why the title changed from The Yorkshire Ripper.”
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Source: HIS Education