The Incident Room – Blackburn Empire Theatre

Everyone knows the story of Peter Sutcliffe, known best by his alter ego, The Yorkshire Ripper. A sadistic serial killer who plagued the North of England for nigh on 5 years, the Ripper’s legacy and story is synonymous, still with an uncanny ability to send ripples of fear into hearts and minds even 45 years after his reign of terror.

As the saying goes: “Real life is often stranger than fiction” – and the story of the Yorkshire Ripper has all the hallmarks of a crime story taken straight from the pages of a novel. An illusive yet fearlessly dangerous serial killer. Well-intentioned law enforcement embroiled in a fatal game of cat and mouse. A half-decade whodunnit, topped off with a generous dose of press sensationalism and public panic for good measure. All the ingredients you need for an explosive story, with real people at its heart.

This production sets the scene as soon as it begins. The metaphorical curtain opens on the dreary Millgarth Incident Room in Leeds, a dull room lined with filing cabinets and paperwork as far as the eye can see. As this show’s name suggests, this Incident Room is the hub of all things Ripper-related during the ongoing criminal investigation.

The location is the nucleus grounding this entire performance together. The dreary walls and shabby furniture were cleverly designed to build up the suspense and sense of debilitating Stockholm Syndrome that the characters (and, indeed, their real-life counterparts) must have been experiencing during the long months and years of the suffocatingly slow investigation.

Director Steven Derbyshire did an astounding job of using everything from set design and props to portray a claustrophobic environment so fraught with fear and frustration. Devoid of showy sets and oft-distracting props and costumes, the actors were put at the forefront of this performance, to great effect. A true feat of acting excellence, every single member of this 16-strong cast was tremendous. It’s easy to think a production set in one single room may get boring, but in the case of The Incident Room, this strategic set choice enhanced rather than hindered the storytelling dynamic.

While all cast members were immensely talented, praise must be given to female lead Neely Jillings, whose portrayal of Officer Megan Winterburn was sensational. Stoic in her police professionalism for most of the performance, Jillings truly shone towards the end when the officer finally let her mask slip and audience got to see a glimpse of the woman behind the badge. Some light comic relief was provided by Joanne Shepherd in the role of the charismatic Ripper survivor Maureen Long, whose witticisms and whimsies gave the audience a much-needed chuckle. Each and every cast member gave a compelling performance that truly brought this harrowing story to life.

The ending was particularly powerful, with tearful Officer Winterburn and tragic survivor Maureen exchanging a knowing look and a rueful nod, both with tears in their eyes. A look rife with shared pain, shared solidarity, shared trauma. Their experiences in The Incident Room to catch the man known as the Yorkshire Ripper may have been very different, but the relief that he was finally caught was palpable between the two women.

It’s on this poignant note – in which you could hear a pin drop in the compact auditorium – that the curtain closes on the faces and names of each of the 13 victims of the Yorkshire Ripper. A sad yet fitting tribute to those who played such an unwilling but central role in this tragic tale that transcends time and generations.

The Incident Room is spellbinding audiences at the Blackburn Empire Theatre from Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th March 2025 – this is a show not to be missed! https://blackburnempire.com/whats-on-at-the-blackburn-empire/

Reviewer: Hannah Wilde

Reviewed: 6th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: