Our show closed having attracted capacity audiences who were very appreciative of this powerful drama. Thanks as always to all those who supported us and also of course to Mike Andrews who directed with a great team behind him to make this the undoubted success it was. Audience reaction is represented by the following comment: "I thought it was an excellent play with several very strong performances...Also technically first rate with clever direction and set design. Well done all."

As usual, we will post further reaction as it comes in along with any reviews. Meanwhile please see below for some pictures from the show, with thanks to Liz Barker for contributing to this excellent record.

Set in the incident room of Millgarth Police Station between 1977 and 1981, this fast moving drama looks at the investigation into the series of murders carried out by the Yorkshire Ripper. With public and political pressure mounting, hundreds of officers worked around the clock and resorted to increasingly audacious attempts to identify the killer. The story centres around Megan Winterburn, the Detective Sergeant running the incident room, and George Oldfield, Assistant Chief Constable in charge of the investigation, as well as other characters from the time. 

Our thanks to Jenny Jones for her appreciative review of this show:

Those living in Yorkshire in the late 70s to early 80s will have strong memories of the murders carried out by Peter Sutcliffe, titled by the press as the Yorkshire Ripper, it was admittedly a very frightening time.  Theories as to who he was and how he did the murders without being seen, led people to question themselves, could it be someone they knew, a neighbour, a friend, that creepy man in the next street… no woman felt safe

There were urban myths flying around of people giving lifts to old ladies who were found to have hairy hands and a hammer in their handbag, and others, more plausible, of being spoken to by a man who sent cold shivers down their spine. But all the time, the police had mounted a huge investigation, yet they seemed to be constantly barking up the wrong tree. This play was centred round the Incident Room at the now demolished Millgarth Police station in central Leeds. The frustrations of those involved in the investigation, were played wonderfully by the whole cast, displaying the attitude of men to women in the workplace, as when the head of Manchester CID swept in, and as he was introduced to Sgt Megan Winterburn, barked out his order for a cup of tea “with three sugars!”. She to her credit answered “The kettle’s over there!” That captured the feeling of that era, women made the tea, men solved the crimes. 

As the play evolved, we heard the so-called “Ripper Tapes”, still guaranteed to shock nearly fifty years on. We heard the letters supposedly sent by the Ripper, red herrings which delayed the investigation greatly, and all the time we felt the frustration of Megan Winterburn and Andy Laptew, as they could see a different side to it, which was brushed aside by the senior officers. And all the time the boxes of files piled up, threatening to take over the office. There was quite a bit of humour too, which was appreciated by the audience, as the laughter rang out loud several times during the play.

Every single member of the cast played their parts to perfection, you could really believe in them, but especial mention must be made to Dianne Newby, as she portrayed both Sylvia Swanson and Maureen Long to perfection  The play was fast paced, with excellent lighting changes which added to the dramatic impact, and they made great use of technology with the screens showing footage from news reels of the times.  The backdrop and lighting enhanced what was already an amazing drama. Congratulations to all the cast and crew, it was a very slick and professional performance. 

Jenny Jones