Louise Iver

Louise Iver is a character in the British crime-drama Whitechapel, who had appeared in its fourth and final series. She is a mysterious old woman who is implied to be hundreds of years old and is responsible for playing a part in the many terrible murders that have occurred in the Whitechapel area in London, including events in the series. This in itself could make her the overall true main antagonist of the show.

She is portrayed by Angela Pleasence.

Backstory
Much of Louise's origin, or identity and whether or not she is actually a mortal human isn't specified. All it is known is her presence goes way back to the 1800s in Whitechapel and she may have influenced the Jack the Ripper killings, which was evidenced when DS Ray Miles saw a drawing resembling her. She was also seen in a photograph with the notorious Kray brothers in the 1960s.

Although not stated, it is possible she was somewhat behind provoking the events of other murders in the Whitechapel show prior to the events of series 4.

Series 4
Louise was first seen at Edward Buchan's book launch and interacted with the officers that he works with. She got inside their heads and make them feel uneasy, such as telling Miles that he wouldn't be respected due to his age, and making DC Megan Riley fear about leaving her desk in case she was killed on duty. Louise then gets Edward to sign a book for her, giving her name as "Louise Iver".

In the first case in series 4, a killer who believes he has been cursed by witches begins kidnapping and torturing people, due to him suffering ergot poisoning. When the police raid his former bakery, Louise watches from the background, unnoticed. Although the killer is caught he ends up dying in hospital. It is later suggested by Miles Louise was responsible for making the killer think he was cursed.

In the second case when a killer skins his victims, Louise is seen among a crowd when an alive victim (whose flesh has been flayed) is discovered. The killer is a book shop owner who kidnaps Edward and plans to flay his skin. The killer ends up dead as well when he commits suicide by throwing himself into a meat grinding machine. The killer in this case mentioned to Edward that someone else came to him asking about books on human skin, which Miles later deduces to possibly be Louise, again talking him into killing.

In the final case of the series a religious cult begin kidnapping and sacrificing people. During this investigation Miles uncovers video footage he sets up around the police station, which picks up Louise snooping about in the early hours of the morning. When he and his boss DI Joseph Chandler go to investigate, they come across an old room with pipes which have had large nails hammered into them, which has caused flooding and leaking. Miles puts this down to the strange goings on in the station the past few weeks, in which the lights have been flickering and damp forming around, almost giving the illusion of a paranormal presence. He believes it is a vendetta by the old woman, and gets her alleged name from Edward. When in Edward's archive room, it is here Miles believes she is responsible for a lot of the horrible murders in Whitechapel after finding photographs of her going back nearly two centuries. However Edward doesn't believe it, thinking it may just be other old women resembling her.

When the cult in the third case are arrested, Louise deliberately steps in front of their transit van, causing it to swerve, crash and blow up. At that very moment, Chandler opened up a letter from a psychic claiming to be from his father, telling Chandler not to put them all in one van. Yet again, Chandler was unable to bring in any murderer alive.

Series 4

 * "Case One" (Parts 1 & 2)
 * "Case Two" (Parts 1 & 2)
 * "Case Three" (Parts 1 & 2)