How to watch The Long Shadow anywhere
David
David has been watching TV outside of his home country for over 12 years. In addition to his streaming expertise, he has a wealth of experience in watching sports and documentaries, having spent many years following these genres. He is an avid fan of The Detectorists and Blue Planet, and also has a keen interest in English football.
The Yorkshire Ripper remains one of the most infamous serial killers in British history.
He was convicted of the murder of thirteen women and the attempted murder of seven more between 1975 and 1980, and the attempts to track him down gripped the nation.
The Long Shadow is a dramatisation of the five-year hunt to track down and capture the Yorkshire Ripper. It is based on a 2003 book on the investigation, plus detailed case files and police reports which have only just come into the public domain.
In the era of true crime TV in which we now find ourselves, it is difficult to overestimate the impact the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper had on our nation’s psyche.
But this series lays it bare for all to see. For fans of true crime, crime drama, and even social history, it is a must-watch series.
Unfortunately, for overseas fans, ex-pats and Brits who find themselves abroad, it will be hard to watch as The Long Shadow is only being broadcast in the UK.
As an ex-pat myself, I am annoyed by this, which is why I have found a neat trick to allow me to unblock and watch The Last Shadow where I am.
You can use it too, and in this guide, I will show you how.
Where is The Long Shadow being shown?
The Long Shadow is being shown on ITV One and ITVX, the new ITV streaming platform.
Unfortunately, ex-pats like me will tell you that ITVX is blocked to viewers outside the UK. So, how can you tune in where you are?
The answer is, with the help of a little app. If you want to know what it is, the next section will tell you everything you need to know.
How do I watch The Long Shadow where I am?
To watch The Long Shadow on ITVX outside the UK, you need to use an app called a Virtual Private Network or VPN. Bare with me, they sound more complicated than they are.
If you haven’t come across VPNs before, they are basically an online security and privacy tool that most cybersecurity experts recommend you should use to keep your personal data safe online.
The way they unblock ITVX to let you watch The Long Shadow is almost accidental. A VPN redirects all your internet traffic through an external server. When it does this, it masks where your data is coming from and instead makes services like ITVX think it originates from that server.
Now, VPN servers can be located anywhere, so if you choose to connect your VPN to a UK-based server, ITVX will think you are in the UK and, therefore, let you watch The Long Shadow.
I know it sounds too easy. But it really is that simple, the app does all the hard work.
Where to get a VPN?
You can download a VPN off the internet but don’t just grab the first one you find after doing a Google search because it is important to choose the right one.
Don’t bother with free VPNs. They are useless for streaming. Instead, my testing has shown that ExpressVPN is the best VPN to use with ITVX.
It comes with tons of UK servers to choose from, a great range of apps for whatever device you want to stream The Long Shadow on, and connection speeds that are fast enough to be confident you will have no buffering or other connection issues no matter where in the world you are.
ExpressVPN is reasonably priced, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.
If you want to try some different VPNs, NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN can also do the job, and they also have long money-back guarantees as well.
But I have been testing VPNs for some time now and can say with confidence that ExpressVPN is the best one to choose. However, the final choice is yours!
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How to stream The Long Shadow outside the UK
So, once you have made up your mind to use ExpressVPN to watch The Long Shadow on ITVX, what do you have to do to get everything up and running?
To help, I have compiled a really simple step-by-step guide for you to follow:
Step 1
Go to the ExpressVPN website and sign up for their annual deal. It comes with a 49% discount and an extra three months free.
Step 2
Download and install the ExpressVPN app from either your device’s app store or their official website for security reasons.
Step 3
Open the ExpressVPN app and log in to your new account.
Step 4
Open the app, then click the Selected Location option, choose a server located in the United Kingdom, and finally click the Connect button to establish a connection.
Stream the show anywhere with ExpressVPN.
Step 5
Lastly, open ITVX and log into your free account (or set one up if you need to).
Then all you have to do is search for The Long Shadow in their content library and away you go.
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What is The Long Shadow all about?
The premise of The Long Shadow
The Long Shadow is a seven-part true-crime drama that tells the story of the investigation and manhunt for the Yorkshire Ripper over five years in the late 1970s.
The series tells the story of various victims of the Ripper as well as their families and others who survived his attacks.
It also focuses on the police investigations and those officers who become increasingly burdened by guilt as more victims appear and their efforts to catch the perpetrator continue to be unsuccessful.
It looks at the impact that the Yorkshire Ripper had, not only on his direct victims but the many others who are linked to them and to the efforts to catch him.
The main characters and their roles in the show
The Long Shadow focuses on a number of the police officers investigating the Yorkshire Ripper.
Two of the main characters are DCS Dennis Hoban, who initially led the investigation into the killings, and DCS George Oldfield, who took over the case and whose health suffered hugely as a result of the strain it placed upon him.
We also meet a number of victims and their families, including Emily Jackson and her husband Sydney. While the Ripper himself, Peter Sutcliffe, does appear, it is only briefly and in a suitably anticlimactic way.
Critical reception of The Long Shadow
The Long Shadow has been received positively by critics.
Writing in the Guardian, Mark Lawson described it as a “starry new drama” and praises it for focusing on the victims and “giving them a voice.”
This is a key point. This is not a blood-and-guts crime drama but something altogether more poignant, and all the better for it.
Who stars in The Long Shadow?
Toby Jones – DCS Dennis Hoban
Toby Jones is a fixture in TV and film dramas and one of the best character actors out there.
He is well known for roles in The Detectorists and Sherlock as well as films including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Captain America, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
David Morrissey – DCS George Oldfield
David Morrissey is another familiar face on our screens. He was recently lauded for his role in Sherwood and has also appeared in such shows as The Walking Dead, The Missing, Britannia, The Singapore Grip, and Inside No. 9.
Katherine Kelly – Emily Jackson
Katherine Kelly is best known for her role as Becky McDonald in Coronation Street. Since leaving the soap, she has had roles in Mr Selfridge, Innocent, Criminal: UK and Liar 2.
Daniel Mays – Sydney Jackson
Daniel Mays is also a firm fixture on our screens and has been seen in shows as diverse as Line of Duty, Des, Ashes to Ashes, and White Lines, as well as movies like Fisherman’s Friends, 1917, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Lee Ingelby – DCS Jim Hobson
Lee Ingelby is perhaps best known for his roles as John Bacchus in Inspector George Gently and as Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
He has also appeared in The A Word, The Wind in the Willows, Screw, The Hunt for Raoul Moat, Line of Duty, and voiced the main character in Bob the Builder.
Summary
The Long Shadow is a true crime drama with a difference, focusing in on the impact that one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers had on his victims and those seeking to bring him to justice.
It is a powerful drama with a hugely impressive cast and looks set to be one of the must-see shows of the Autumn.
Unfortunately, for those of us living overseas, it is not yet available. But there is a simple way to unblock ITVX and enjoy The Long Shadow from anywhere with the help of a VPN.
My testing shows that ExpressVPN is the best VPN to use
Just sign up for the ExpressVPN annual deal, download and install the app, log in, connect to a UK server and then use ITVX just like you would in the UK.
The Long Shadow is well worth it. This is a drama that will live with you and which you will be talking about to your friends and family back home as well.
✔ Beginner-friendly
✔ Quick to set up
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