What happened to Dennis Hoban from The Long Shadow?

One of these detectives is DCS Dennis Hoban, who is portrayed in the series by Detectorists star Toby Jones. But who was Hoban and what happened to him?

Read on for everything you need to know about the real Dennis Hoban.

*Warning - this article contains spoilers for events dramatised in later episodes of The Long Shadow*

Who was Dennis Hoban and what happened to him?

Dennis Hoban was a police officer from Leeds, who became known as one of the first members of the police force to take the case seriously and link Sutcliffe's murders.

He had left school at 14 without any qualifications, later rising through the ranks of the West Yorkshire Police to become the head of Leeds CID.

He was known to have a good relationship with the media, with local Yorkshire journalists donating a trophy in his memory after his death, which was awarded each year for outstanding detective work.

As Detective Chief Superintendent, he was the first to lead the investigation into the murders, although he was later replaced by DCS Jim Hobson.

He died in March 1978 at the age of 52, due to complications from his diabetes. This was three years before Sutcliffe was eventually caught.

Dennis's son Richard previously told the Yorkshire Evening Post of his father: "Although he loved his family, he couldn’t bear not to be at the centre of things. For years, my brother and I thought there had to be a murder on Christmas Day.

"When we were older, we realised he’d probably asked one of his colleagues to ring him on the pretext of a serious case so he could escape from the house and get back to Brotherton House, the headquarters of Leeds City Police."

Meanwhile, Jane Carter Woodrow, a criminologist and writer who included Hoban as a central character in her book Between Two Worlds, also spoke highly of the detective.

She said: "He was full of humanity and he cared about his victims, When he locked up criminals in Armley and he knew they had families, he would take them money or a bag of groceries. And at Christmas, he would take his sons around with some of their own toys for the children."

Who plays Dennis Hoban in The Long Shadow?

Hoban is played by in the show by Toby Jones, who is known for playing Arnim Zola in the MCU, as well as for his roles in The Hunger Games, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and the Harry Potter films.

Richard Hoban was full of praise for Jones's performance as his dad, saying: "It was almost like I was watching my dad at some points. It is kind of surreal.

"It’s a magnificent performance. The characterisation of my dad is absolutely superb. He’s captured my dad’s assertiveness, incredible observation skills and analytical mind.

"He also had so much empathy for victims, which comes across. My dad would always be checking in on people to make sure they were alright, and if he found out people didn’t have food on the table, he would help with finances.

"He would never get angry. When I did something wrong as a child, my dad would still speak gently."

The Long Shadow will air on ITV1 and ITVX from 25th September 2023. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.