Jill Halfpenny on what shocked her most in research for The Long Shadow
Halfpenny spoke with RadioTimes.com and other press about the ITV drama.
Seven-part ITV drama The Long Shadow will air later this month, which tells the harrowing true story of the search for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, focussing on his victims, their families and friends and the police force trying to catch him.
The series features an all-star cast including Toby Jones, Katherine Kelly, Jill Halfpenny and many more, with Halfpenny playing Doreen Hill, the mother of Sutcliffe's final victim Jacqueline Hill.
Halfpenny spoke with RadioTimes.com and other press about her role in the series, and when asked what she learned in her research for the show that shocked her most, she said that it was "the fact that there was no real aftercare".
Halfpenny explained: "They were just left to deal with such tragic circumstances, and yet in such a public arena, with seemingly no support. And I had probably just never taken the time to really, really think on that."
She continued: "It just really shocked me that they were just left alone, and how little power they had. I mean, Doreen really tried to fight back, she spoke up, she went on the Panorama show, she went to court, she didn't win that court case. But it just felt like these people were really left in an untenable situation.
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"We talk so much now about support and therapy and what could we give them and how can we help them. Then, it was like, 'Oh, well, that's happened'. I thought it was heartbreaking."
The series has been created by Litvinenko writer George Kay, who previously revealed how his own research led to a change in the drama's title from The Yorkshire Ripper.
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Kay explained: "We had a very respectful approach as a team throughout, but even at the beginning we hadn't learned, which we did over the time of making the show, that that moniker, that name that people use to describe Peter Sutcliffe, which obviously began before anyone knew his real name but then continued after people knew his real name, was disrespectful in many ways.
"Especially to the victims' families, who certainly don't like that name being applied to Peter Sutcliffe, because it creates a sort of dark brand around a man who doesn't deserve that sort of attention, and especially not that verb."
The Long Shadow will air on ITV1 and ITVX starting from Monday 25th September 2023 at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
