Bradford business used as a set for Yorkshire Ripper drama

The Bulmer & Lumb site, on Royds Hall Lane, off Halifax Road, is being used as a set for The Long Shadow, which will tell the story of the shocking Yorkshire Ripper murders and the huge manhunt to find him.

Crews will be on-site for the next couple of weeks. The series is set to star big names including Toby Jones and David Morrissey, who will reportedly play West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield.

Large lighting rigs could be seen at the business

Katherine Kelly and Daniel Mays have also been spotted filming scenes elsewhere. 

A spokesperson from Bulmer & Lumb said “We understand that this is still an emotive episode in West Yorkshire’s history – but we have been assured by the series’ producers that the story will be sensitively told.”

They added the "large number" of cast and crew would also bring benefits to the local economy. 

A set looks to have been created next to the business' headquarters

Sutcliffe’s reign of terror began in July 1975 and resulted in the brutal murders of Wilma McCann; Emily Jackson; Irene Richardson; Patricia Atkinson;  Jayne MacDonald; Jean Jordan; Yvonne Pearson; Helen Rytka; Vera Millward;  Josephine Whitaker; Barbara Leach; Marguerite Walls and  Jacqueline Hill.

Peter Sutcliffe's victims

Many of his victims were mutilated before being stabbed or beaten to death.

The search to find Sutcliffe, who lived in Heaton, lasted five years and involved thousands of officers.

Peter Sutcliffe

Written by acclaimed screenwriter George Kay, who is the creator/writer of hit Netflix show Lupin and who also wrote and co-created Criminal for the streaming platform, The Long Shadow will follow the desperate hunt for Sutcliffe, focusing on the police investigation and the lives of the victims who fatally crossed his path.

Willow Grylls, chief executive of independent production company New Pictures and who has worked on Des, White House Farm and The Missing, is the executive producer, while Paul Whittington, of White House Farm, Little Boy Blue, The Moorside and The Crown, is directing the series.

Polly Hill, ITV’s Head of Drama, said: “This promises to be a definitive look at this infamous case, and will be sensitively dramatised for ITV by this formidable team, who have a proven track record in bringing these true stories to screen.”

The chilling drama promises to be the “first definitive account of a case that shook Britain”.

It is based on Michael Bilton’s book Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper and will focus on the lives of the Sutcliffe’s victims, the loved ones they left behind, and the toll the investigation took on the detectives who led the investigation.

Director Paul Whittington said: “This is a vital story about class prejudice, pervasive and entrenched societal sexism and women simply not being heard that still has relevance today."

George Kay added: “This is not the story of a Ripper who hailed from Yorkshire, but the story of how Yorkshire was ripped apart.”