Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann, have expressed their disappointment over Channel 5's new drama, Under Suspicion: Kate McCann. They also claimed that they were not asked for their consent before the show was made, insisting that it will have a "negative impact" on their family.
Details of the Drama
The Channel 5 show depicts how the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from a Portuguese holiday home in May 2007 turned its attention to her mother, and began to treat her as a suspect. It stars Laura Bayston, known for her role in Slow Horses, as Kate and aired on 20 May, 19 years after Madeleine went missing.
Statement from the McCanns
In a statement uploaded to their Find Madeleine Campaign website, Kate and Gerry expressed their concerns about the drama. They said: "Thank you to everyone who has offered support and kindness this month. May is never the easiest. We usually start to feel a bit 'lighter' at this stage of the month. We are disappointed, however, knowing that a Channel 5 'docu-drama' will air tonight. We have not given, or been asked for, our consent and have had no involvement whatsoever in its making. We fail to see how it will help. Programmes like this always have a negative impact on our family."
Background of the Case
Madeleine was only three years old when she went missing on 3 May 2007, disappearing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal. The detectives in Portugal made her parents suspects in the case in September 2007 but discounted them from the investigation in July 2008. The Channel 5 documentary centres on when Kate was under interrogation by officers and is based on official police material and recorded testimony.
Actor's Perspective
Speaking to The Mirror, Laura Bayston, who stars as Kate, said some scenes were a "punch in the guts" to film. She explained: "It's the scene when Kate is presented with an offer by the police, which is to confess. As an actor having to respond to the dialogue, it was very affecting, you know? In the way that it was a very claustrophobic environment. It was just a real, absolute, I can't describe it any other way, it just felt like a massive punch in the guts when that was offered to Kate. It really even today it gets to me. It was really shocking."
Laura also said that she took on the role of Kate only because she was sure the production was being made for the "right reasons". She continued: "To play a role like this, you have to remember that at the heart of it this is a real life case. This is a real woman who is still alive, who's still with us. It's still a story, and [you have] to be mindful of that throughout. The entirety was really important to me, and to be as respectful as possible."
Message to Viewers
In an emotional message to viewers, Laura said she wanted those watching to remember "there's always another side to the story". She added: "You don't always react and respond how you think you're going to react and respond, and it seems to me there's been a lot of knee-jerk reactions to this from day one, and people will make their opinions public, and whether we want them or not, but no one truly knows, and ultimately, you know, Madeleine is still missing, and that's it. This happened, and this is based on evidence and it's based on the transcripts, and it was thoroughly researched, so people can take from it what they like, really, because what we've done is present a script as honestly as possible, as truthfully as possible."
The Mirror has approached Channel 5 for a comment.
