The Long Shadow viewers in disbelief over shocking moment in ITV drama

Publish date: 2024-05-29

Episode four saw the police interrogate a new suspect

ITV's harrowing new drama, The Long Shadow, continued on Monday night and viewers have expressed their disbelief over a shocking moment in the latest episode. 

The series depicts the five-year manhunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, focusing on the lives of his victims, their families and the police officers at the centre of the investigation.

WATCH: The trailer for ITV’s crime drama, The Long Shadow

The fourth instalment saw the police investigate a new lead after a woman named Maureen Long survived a horrific attack by Sutcliffe.

After describing what she remembered of her assailant, detectives were soon looking for the bearded driver of a white taxi. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

The police were drawn to a new suspect from Bradford and brought him to the station for intense interrogation. 

The true story

While the police seemed certain that they had their man, whose name was left out of the episode's script, viewers who are familiar with the full story knew otherwise and took to social media to share their shock over how the suspect, whose real name was Terry Hawkshaw, was treated by investigators. 

One person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "What the police put this poor chap through is disgusting. If they hadn't been so pigheaded and judgemental about the victims, they'd have had the right man much earlier," while another added: "Poor Terry Hawkshaw, the taxi driver! Being given the full treatment as a 'prime suspect' by the police. One of the jaw-dropping sequences of Part 4 of this superb series."

A third person tweeted: "I bet they look stupid thinking they had the right person in custody for questioning and another murder happens. Honestly this show's making my blood pressure go high," while a fourth commented: "This really is shoddy policeman work, all they care about is pinning it on someone, even if they kinda fit the bill. Truly shocking."

READ: Who plays Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe in The Long Shadow?

MORE: The Long Shadow: the star-studded cast and where you've seen them before

Another viewer criticised the entire investigation, writing: "Can't believe how bad this investigation is. Dismissing things that mattered, making the women feel like it's their fault, not even getting that e-fit of him out straight away."

Many viewers also commented on the police's treatment of victim Maureen (Clare Burt) in the show, who, after her injuries had healed, was asked to go to a pub with a female officer to look at the faces of regulars in search of her attacker. 

In one particularly heartbreaking scene, she told PS Meg Winterburn (Liz White) that members of her community would presume she was a sex worker like Sutcliffe's other victims. "That's me marked," she said. "That's me scarred, forever."

Taking to X, one person wrote: "The treatment of Maureen. Deplorable," while another added: "#TheLongShadow imagine making that poor woman go through that to retrace her steps."

A third person tweeted: "Poor woman Maureen being paraded in public. What she said was heartbreaking #thelongshadow."

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