Wilma McCann’s son Richard has praised The Long Shadow for “humanising” his mum, who was Peter Sutcliffe’s first known victim.
Speaking ahead of the series’ final episode (Monday, November 6, 2023), Richard admitted that he had cried after watching the show, because “finally the public has seen mum as I saw her”.
The ITV dramatisation focused on Peter Sutcliffe’s victims, and had the support of the families. Far from glamorising the serial killer, the actor portraying him didn’t even appear until the penultimate episode.
This is very much a series about the victims, for the victims and their families. Something that Richard admits “hasn’t been done before”.
Wilma McCann’s son Richard praises The Long Shadow
Richard McCann, Wilma McCann‘s son, appeared on BBC Breakfast in November to discuss his mum, and her portrayal in The Long Shadow.
The Long Shadow has been telling the story of the five-year hunt for serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, and shining a light on his victims. The ITV series has also questioned the heartbreaking errors made by the misogynistic police force, who failed the victims.
Bradford-born lorry driver Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 women and attempted to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Richard McCann’s mother, Wilma, was killed by Sutcliffe in 1975. She was just 28 years old, and is thought to be his first victim.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Richard – now a bestselling author, and inspirational speaker – praised The Long Shadow for “changing the narrative”.
The Long Shadow ‘humanises’ Wilma McCann
Speaking to hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, Richard said: “I think they’ve done a fantastic job of humanising the women and their families – I don’t think we’ve seen that before.
“I think at the end of the series on Monday, people will be left with different opinions of those families. The only thing I’ve really seen about my mum is that she was a prostitute – but it’s great to see how this drama has changed the narrative.
“Seeing mum put us to bed [in the show], I cried because finally the public has seen mum as I saw her. We’ve redressed the negativity.”
Speaking to Radio Times about the series, Richard said: “What ITV have done is told the story through the lens of the victims, the families, and we don’t often see that. So, what this particular drama does is it humanises them.
“For me, when I watched that, I just found it extremely moving. Because in Peter Sutcliffe’s case, many of the women, including mum, they weren’t seen as mothers or sisters or daughters. And what we saw was, in my mum’s case, a black and white picture – she was labelled as a prostitute, that was it.”
He went on to say that the police only seemed to start taking the investigation seriously when Jayne MacDonald was killed, who was a 16-year-old shop assistant.
Why Peter Sutcliffe should not be called The Yorkshire Ripper
As reported by ED!, the show was originally named after Sutcliffe’s long-standing nickname. However, ITV changed the name after learning from the families how offensive the term is.
Richard McCann was one of these family members. He told BBC Breakfast: “Giving these criminals these labels, it almost glamorises what they’ve done.
“You could say it might have inspired him to continue doing what he did.”
During the interview, Mr McCann also revealed that a memorial will be created in Leeds to remember the women who were murdered by Peter Sutcliffe.
Does Wilma McCann’s son Richard appear in The Long Shadow?
In the first episode of The Long Shadow, viewers saw Wilma McCann’s four young children wake up to find their mother missing. Her body was subsequently found not far from her house. Tragically, Peter Sutcliffe struck her twice with a hammer before stabbing her 15 times in the neck, chest and abdomen. Wilma was earning money as a sex worker at the time of her death.
Scottish actress Gemma Laurie played Peter Sutcliffe’s first victim Wilma McCann. And Richard and his sister were also bought to life in the series.
Child actress Alexa Goodall played Wilma’s eldest daughter Sonia McCann, while Dylan Hall portrayed a young Richard McCann who was five at the time of his mother’s death. Tragically Sonia took her own life in 2007, after battling alcohol addiction.
Richard served time in prison on drugs charges before publishing two best-selling books – Just A Boy and The Boy Grows Up – about his troubled childhood.
Read more: ‘Embarrassing to watch’: The Long Shadow viewers left disgusted by ITV drama
The Long Shadow concludes on ITV at 9pm on Monday, November 06, 2023. It is also available in full on ITVX.
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