At just five years old, child actress Ruby Ranson appears poised for stardom after securing a role in one of television's most prominent dramas. On Wednesday night, viewers tuned into Channel 5's controversial programme, Under Suspicion: Kate McCann, which dramatises the case of Britain's most famous missing person, Madeleine McCann.
The 90-minute film drew directly from official statements and recorded testimony, following detectives as they interrogated Kate over 11 hours, during which she and her husband Gerry were declared 'arguidos', or suspects. Ruby took on the role of Madeleine, having landed her first modelling job at just six weeks old for Shein, and has also worked with brands such as Primark, Mothercare, Argos, Next, John Lewis, and JoJo Maman Bébé.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ruby's mother Gemma shared that it comes as no surprise that Ruby has been tipped for bigger projects. 'She's always had that star quality and been a performer,' Gemma said. 'She's definitely outgoing. She's not shy. She can go into a room with pretty much anyone and start talking! It's a nice quality.'
Ruby's Role and Understanding
Ruby, who was four when she filmed the part, is too young to grasp the McCanns' story fully. Gemma revealed she has recorded Ruby's scenes to show her later. 'A lot of the time the kids do self-tapes and a lot of work, but they don't get to see the finished product,' Gemma explained. 'So she's going to watch it and she can understand a bit more.'
Under Suspicion: Kate McCann marks Ruby's first major film role, and she loved her time on set. Gemma praised Laura Bayston, who plays Kate, saying: 'She was so good, she was really friendly and you could see her really getting into character.' She added that the production company ensured Ruby stuck to her filming hours and received breaks as needed.
Laura Bayston's Experience
Actress Laura previously discussed her experience, noting that the hardest scene to film was when police offered Kate a deal if she admitted to killing Madeleine. She described it as 'truly horrific and an absolute punch in the guts'. Laura, who has two children of similar age to Madeleine at the time of her disappearance 19 years ago, said the role left her 'terrified'. Laura, who bears a striking resemblance to Kate McCann, has had small roles in Killing Eve and Slow Horses, but this is her biggest role yet.
Background of the Case
Madeleine vanished in May 2007 while on holiday with her parents at Praia da Luz in the Algarve, after they left her and her younger twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they dined with friends. During questioning in September 2007, detectives made both parents suspects under a theory that they had staged an abduction and concealed Madeleine's body. Kate was offered a deal to admit covering up the murder in exchange for a shorter sentence. Their 'arguidos' status was eventually lifted, and the Portuguese investigation was shelved in 2008, but the couple remained under suspicion for years.
Fifteen years later, Portuguese police travelled to London in 2023 to apologise to the McCanns for how they handled the case, admitting the initial probe was not properly conducted and that insufficient importance was given to missing children.
Drama Production
Under Suspicion: Kate McCann also stars James Robinson as Gerry McCann, alongside Joana Borja, Hugo Nicolau, Miguel Freire, and Carlos Agualusa. The drama begins three months into the search, when Portuguese police had no substantial leads. They summoned Kate for a meeting that took an accusatory tone from the start. The script is drawn directly from official statements and recorded testimony, with writer Philip Ralph explaining the challenge of crafting dialogue from interrogation material that was not audio-recorded but transcribed in Portuguese and translated for Kate McCann to sign off.
The prime suspect in the case, Christian Brueckner, was freed from jail in September last year after serving a sentence for rape. He has never been charged over Madeleine's disappearance but remains the prime suspect in German and British investigations. He has refused to speak to the Metropolitan Police and denied involvement in letters to the Daily Mail.
Under Suspicion: Kate McCann is available to watch on My5.
