This is personal, the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper

[Cartman]

I was looking through YouTube a couple of days ago and came across this, in two parts. It was a Granada production from 2000 and I remember watching it at the time when it was shown and thought it was good, so I've started on it again.

It's very good, Alun Armstrong plays the detective in charge, George Oldfield, and John Duttine and Richard Ridings are in it too, as other detectives, Maggie Ollerenshaw plays George Oldfields wife and Kimberley Walsh his daughter. It is well acted and filmed and I can recommend it. 

It recreates the late 70s well and the pressure the team were under, and the way the hoax tape from Wearside Jack derailed the investigation

[Palmer]

I remember seeing this when it first aired and I recall it was very good indeed...

Alun Armstrong is a ruddy good actor!!

[Bojan Scores]

I’ve got this DVD and it’s a very good watch. It gives a feel of the atmosphere of dread that permeated the North during the Rippers active years. My only criticism is the slightly heroic slant that George Oldfield and Dick Holland are given, when the truth about the conduct of the investigation was far from palatable. However, that said it’s worth your time. I think I’ve recommended this before but Michael Bilton’s book ‘Wicked Beyond Belief’ is a brilliant read about the Ripper inquiry and it’s cheap as chips too.

[Cartman]

Yes, there were three massive mistakes that were made. Firstly, the initial detective leading the enquiry before Oldfield was put in charge, who was played by John Duttine, was on the right lines tracing the car, which was correctly narrowed down to either a Mark 2 Cortina or Corsair, and he was told to stop this line of enquiry. Secondly, the clue over the recovered £5 note wasn't followed up properly, and finally, several women who were attacked and survived gave decent descriptions and confirmed that he was local and not a Geordie, but this was disregarded.

I well remember the case and the massive publicity when the tape was made public. 

Sutcliffe was caught purely by chance, a pnc check on his car registration when he was illegally parked.

Incidentally, the New York serial killer, Son of Sam was caught the same way

[Bojan Scores]

Jan 28, 2022 17:05:50 GMT Cartman said:

Yes, there were three massive mistakes that were made. Firstly, the initial detective leading the enquiry before Oldfield was put in charge, who was played by John Duttine, was on the right lines tracing the car, which was correctly narrowed down to either a Mark 2 Cortina or Corsair, and he was told to stop this line of enquiry. Secondly, the clue over the recovered £5 note wasn't followed up properly, and finally, several women who were attacked and survived gave decent descriptions and confirmed that he was local and not a Geordie, but this was disregarded.

I well remember the case and the massive publicity when the tape was made public. 

Sutcliffe was caught purely by chance, a pnc check on his car registration when he was illegally parked.

Incidentally, the New York serial killer, Son of Sam was caught the same way

The £5 note enquiry was a brilliant piece of work by Manchester Police, but their work was disregarded by Oldfield. Sutcliffe was interviewed at his workplace because of this enquiry, another chance to apprehend him was gone.

[Sparky]

Jan 28, 2022 13:40:03 GMT Cartman said:

I was looking through YouTube a couple of days ago and came across this, in two parts. It was a Granada production from 2000 and I remember watching it at the time when it was shown and thought it was good, so I've started on it again.

It's very good, Alun Armstrong plays the detective in charge, George Oldfield, and John Duttine and Richard Ridings are in it too, as other detectives, Maggie Ollerenshaw plays George Oldfields wife and Kimberley Walsh his daughter. It is well acted and filmed and I can recommend it. 

It recreates the late 70s well and the pressure the team were under, and the way the hoax tape from Wearside Jack derailed the investigation

I remember this when it was on. Very well made.

Granada did another a few years later, with Tim Spall playing "Pierrepont" - the West Yorks Executioner.

A Neighbour dealt with "Wearside Jack" when he was nicked and dragged to West Yorks Police for questioning.

I think a cold case team looked at all the evidence again in 2005 or 2006.

[Nightfly]

Jan 28, 2022 15:31:48 GMT Bojan Scores said:

 My only criticism is the slightly heroic slant that George Oldfield and Dick Holland are given, when the truth about the conduct of the investigation was far from palatable.

I thought the same thing, though at least they included the scene with the DC who flagged up Sutcliffe to Holland only to be given a sharp slap down. (I had the pleasure of meeting the DC a few years ago before he passed away).

It's still an excellent dramatisation though and Alun Armstrong and John Duttine are top of their game as ever.

[Cartman]

Wearside Jack was only caught in about 2006, a DNA sample from the envelope somehow. 

Minor quibble, one of the police cars was an HB Viva, which not still have been in use by the police by 77/78. Oldfield also led the enquiry into the IRA bomb on the coach on the M62 in early 74, which resulted in a wrongful arrest and imprisonment of Judith Ward, who wasn't responsible for it. In fact, an alibi proved that she wasn't in the area at the time, but this was ignored