Madeleine McCann’s parents issue statement over Channel 5 true crime drama

Madeleine McCann’s parents Kate and Gerry have issued a statement saying they were “disappointed” they were not consulted or asked for consent during the production of Channel 5’s new true crime drama Under Suspicion: Kate McCann, about their daughter’s disappearance

The parents of Madeleine McCann have expressed their “disappointment” at not being consulted or asked for permission during the making of a new true crime drama focusing on their daughter’s vanishing.

Channel 5’s Under Suspicion: Kate McCann portrays Madeleine’s mother being regarded as a suspect throughout the inquiry into her disappearance in May 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann confirmed they “had no involvement whatsoever” in the programme’s development.

The drama was broadcast on Wednesday, featuring Slow Horses star Laura Bayston in the central role of Kate McCann.

Kate and Gerry released a statement on the same day, voicing their worries about the “negative impact” such shows inflict on their family while they continue mourning Madeleine’s disappearance 19 years later.

“Thank you to everyone who has offered support and kindness this month,” they posted on the Find Madeleine Campaign website.

“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.” This statement, also posted on the official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, was signed by “Kate, Gerry and Family”. Madeleine McCann vanished from her family’s holiday flat in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3rd May 2007, just before her fourth birthday.

For a span of 10 months, between September 2007 and July 2008, Portuguese officials considered Kate and her husband Gerry as suspects in Madeleine’s disappearance. The new production dramatises Kate’s police questioning and utilises official police documents, documentary evidence and recorded testimony.

The 90-minute film is the work of renowned screenwriter and playwright Philip Ralph, with direction by Paula Wittig, known for her previous work on Black Widow.

The Manchester Evening News has reached out to Channel 5 for a response.