Joseph Sickert on the 1973 BBC Series

[Writerboy]

I am a big fan of the 1973 BBC series, and think the amount of research and the quality of the analysis of it is stunning. The historical reconstructions are a bit clunky but the interplay between Barlow and Watt is great and it is for my money the most exhaustive and level headed study of the case shown on the screen.

One question: when Jospeh Sickert makes his appearance on film in part 6 to give his "story" about the Duke of Clarence etc, the investigators are not taken in by it but do find a possible bit of corroboration in a now missing document. I've read that since this all happened Sickert, who wasn't really a Sickert at all, confessed he made it all up. Did he ever officially state this and if so did he give any reasons for the fabrications, and also explain how some of the information he gave did have possible historical accuracy to it (ie an Elizabeth COOK living in Cleveland Street at the time)?

Apologies if this is all very well known now, I'm a newbie here!

[John Savage]

Hi Writerboy,

Joseph Sickert was born Joseph Gorman and that his grandmother was Annie Elizabeth Crook is an established fact. Annie gave berth to an illegitimate daughter, Alice Margaret Crook who later in life married William Gorman, the name of Alice father is unknown.

After the television programme the story was taken further by Stephen Knight in his book "Jack The Riper,The Final Solution" published in 1976. A few years later Joseph Gorman Sickert recanted the whole story in an article published in the Sunday Times. However that was not the end of the story as Joseph re hashed the story in Melvyn Fairclough's 1990 book "The Ripper and The Royals"

I hope that this helps.
Rgds
John