Stern & Wild filmmaker reveals how the tabloids created the legend of Jack the Ripper

Huge shout out to Stern & Wild client Tom Stubberfield, whose gripping new drama-doc Jack the Ripper: Written in Blood is set to launch on Sky History and NOW TV tomorrow.

The three-part series offers a fresh take on the Jack the Ripper story, focusing on how the Whitechapel Murders became a global media sensation and fuelled the rise of tabloid journalism in Britain. It highlights the role of one Fleet Street newspaper in particular – The Star – which exploited the killings to boost circulation and profits, and ultimately hindered the police investigation in the process. The series also examines the lives of the Ripper's victims and looks at the struggles faced by these women in an unforgiving and class-divided Victorian society.

The series blends both drama and modern-day contributor interviews. It stars Mark Strepan, Moe Dunford, Amy-Leigh Hickman, Tyger Drew-Honey and Chelsea Halfpenny, and includes expert analysis from investigative journalists, former detectives, psychologists, historians, a former prostituted woman and author, and forensics experts. It was filmed on location in Bucharest and London.

It is produced by UK indie Nutopia for Sky and Hearst Networks EMEA. It was commissioned by Dan Korn, VP of Programming at Hearst, and Hayley Reynolds, Director of Documentaries and Factual at Sky. Dan Korn and Kathryn Taylor are the Exec Producers on behalf of Sky History with Ben Goold and Jane Root as Exec Producers for Nutopia. Jenny Craig is the Producer, Tracey Larcombe is the Series Drama Director and Tom is the Showrunner.

Tom, Tracey and Romanian set designer Grigore Puscariu discuss the making of the series in a Behind the Scenes feature published in Broadcast today.

The series drops on Sky History at 9.00pm on Tuesday 8 April, and will be available to stream the same day on NOW TV. Watch the trailer below: