Emmerdale's Charley Webb's gripping new role in ITV drama The Long Shadow

02 October 2023 , 19:00

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Emmerdale's Charley Webb's gripping new role in ITV drama The Long Shadow

When she arrived in Emmerdale as Debbie Dingle, it did not take long before she became a household name in the ITV soap.

However, the star, 35, who is married to her former co-star Matthew Wolfenden, quit the show in 2021 after 19 years, to pursue other ventures and her departure was certainly felt by the viewers across the nation. But fast-forward two years and the mum-of-three has now landed a gritty crime drama on ITV called The Long Shadow, which tells the story of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe who murdered 13 women and attempted to kill seven others throughout his killing spree which ended in 1981, when he was finally arrested.

Charley plays WPC Anna Lawson, a police constable who – like many others in the police force at that time – dedicated her professional life to hunting down Peter, who the media dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper.

In February Charley's character Debbie Dingle made the shock decision to leave the village she called home for 19 years after her mum, Charity, drunkenly revealed how Debbie set up Al Chapman to steal a large sum of money. Charity hadn't realised that Al was recording her and played the tape in front of Debbie. Fuming, Debbie told her mum that their relationship was over for good. And she then decided to head to Scotland to clear her head, in the wake of her mum's betrayal.

Charley Webb who played Debbie Dingle says she has no regrets over leaving the ITV soap (Mark Bruce)

Speaking of her exit, Charley told Whattowatch.com that she felt it was the "right time" to spread her wings. She said: "It felt like the right time for me personally to make that jump from Emmerdale and I don't have any regrets about it. I’m ambitious to push myself and it’s just about choosing the right projects from now on."

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She added: "It's hard to say no to work, but I trust my agent and I trust the process. Hopefully, I’ve made some good choices so far." Straight after leaving the popular soap, Charley starred in the threatre production of Quiz, which is based on the true story of Charles Ingram, who won the million pound jackpot on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, with the help of his wife and another accomplice. Charley played Diana, his wife and comedian Rory Bremner played Chris Tarrant.

Since leaving Emmerdale, Charley has now landed the role of WPC Anna Lawson in the gripping ITV drama The Long Shadow. She plays a police constable as part of a larger team of officers, who hunt down the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe in the drama, who at the time was targeting women in the Leeds and Manchester area.

Charley plays WPC Anna Lawson in the ITV drama (JOHN MATHER/IMAGE VIEW)

The role comes after Charley's Emmerdale exit (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The actress stars alongside Line of Duty star Daniel Mays, who plays Sydney Jackson, the husband of Peter's second victim Emily Jackson. Also former Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly plays Emily Jackson herself. Meanwhile, ex-EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny also stars in the crime drama as Doreen Hill, who is the mother of Jackie Hill, Peter's final victim. Charley said of the drama: "It’s such an important subject and I knew ITV would handle it really well. Plus it had an amazing cast and a great director in Lewis Arnold."

She added: "As the series plays out you see how women were hugely affected by the case. It’s a very male-dominated world, but WPC Lawson is more sensitive to the effects of the case than many of her male colleagues."

In the picture of Charley as her character, she is seen looking determined as she hands out missing person flyers to passers-by in the hope that someone's recollection will lead to helpful information. 

One of his victims, who luckly managed to survive her brutal attack was Marcella Claxton. Peter Sutcliffe attacked her with a heavy spanner which has left her with permanent brain injuries, causing her to blackout and she also endures painful headaches. Peter Sutcliffe was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1981 for the murder of 13 women and the attempted murder of seven others. The serial killer died aged 74 in November 2020.

Lucretia Munro