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Shadow of the Ripper

Christopher Frayling unravels the circumstances which turned a killer into a Gothic hero he asks: is it time to lay the ghosts of 1888 to rest? (1988)

Jack the Ripper was a prince, a pauper, a mason, a madman... A host of more and more bizarre theories have surrounded the unexplained killings in Whitechapel since they hit the headlines in 1888. This film dispels the grisly fiction, revealing for the first time the true contents of the police and Home Office files on the case, drawing on the expertise of historians and of those who have encountered today's killers - on the street or behind bars.

Revisiting the sites of the crimes, piecing together evidence from Victorian locations across London, the invention of the legend becomes clear. As Christopher Frayling unravels the circumstances which turned a killer into a Gothic hero he asks: is it time to lay the ghosts of 1888 to rest? (1988)

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50 minutes

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麻豆社 Four Murder By Gaslight

麻豆社 Four Murder By Gaslight
A collection of documentaries on notorious murderers that horrified 19th聽Century Britain.

About 麻豆社 Four Collection programmes

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current 麻豆社 editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Christopher Frayling
Editor Roy Davies
Film Editor Steve Ronay
Director John Triffitt

Broadcast

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