Kate and Gerry McCann have spoken of their heartbreak and frustration after a new Channel 5 true crime drama about their daughter Madeleine aired without their involvement or consent.
The programme, titled Under Suspicion: Kate McCann, focuses on the period during which Madeleine’s mother was treated as a suspect following the little girl’s disappearance in Portugal in May 2007. But the McCanns made it clear they had “no involvement whatsoever” in the production and questioned why the drama was made at all.
The emotional statement was released on Wednesday — the same day the 90-minute film aired — and revealed the couple’s fears that such programmes continue to cause pain for their family nearly two decades after Madeleine vanished.
Kate and Gerry wrote on the official Find Madeleine Campaign website: “Thank you to everyone who has offered support & 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.”
They continued: “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.”
Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007 — just days before her fourth birthday — in a case that shocked the world and remains unsolved to this day.
The new Channel 5 drama stars Slow Horses actress Laura Bayston as Kate McCann and recreates the intense period during which Portuguese police investigated Kate and Gerry as official suspects. The couple remained under suspicion for 10 months between September 2007 and July 2008 before being cleared.
According to reports, the drama is based on official police documents, recorded testimony and documentary evidence. It was written by award-winning screenwriter Philip Ralph and directed by Paula Wittig, known for Black Widow.
Despite the filmmakers’ claims of factual research, the McCanns’ statement suggests the project has reopened old wounds at a time when they are still mourning the loss of their daughter 19 years later.
