Red Riding
A series of three TV movies based on David Peace's four Red Riding novels. The three specials take place over three years - 1974, 1980, and 1983 - in Yorkshire, and deal with a series of murders mirroring the Real Life Yorkshire Ripper killings. With an ensemble cast of British actors, Red Riding is a dark and engrossing (and disgusting) trilogy. The first film sees Intrepid Reporter Eddie Dunford of the Yorkshire Post investigate a child's murder which may or may not be connected with Corrupt Corporate Executive John Dawson's plan to build a shopping centre over the place that the body was found in. The second and third deal with the Yorkshire Ripper and Wearside Jack cases.
Tropes used in Red Riding include:
- Amateur Sleuth
- Affably Evil: John Dawson.
- The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: The death of Barry Gannon.
- Crapsack World: Anywhere in the North before about 1990 is generally portrayed as exaggeratedly crappy.
- Dirty Cop: Every character in the West Yorkshire Police with the notable exception of Maurice Jobson.
- Driven to Suicide: Eddie Dunford
- Intrepid Reporter: Eddie Dunford.
- I Can Still Fight
- Inherent in the System: The Yorkshire Post and West Yorkshire Police.
- Oop North: The series is set in the three districts, or 'ridings', of Yorkshire.
- Police Brutality: Two corrupt cops corner Eddie after he visits Dawson's ill wife in hospital, drag him out to his car and slam the door on his wrist, breaking it, with a few truncheon taps to the eyeball for good measure.
- Serial Killer: The major focus of the middle episode is on the Yorkshire Ripper, a real life serial killer.
- Suicide by Cop: Eddie Dunford goes out this way, but not before taking John Dawson with him.