Looking for a true crime series to add to your watchlist? 5 has just announced a gripping new drama that charts one of the most talked-about missing persons cases in history.
Starring Laura Bayston (Killing Eve, Slow Horses, Doctors), Suspect: Kate McCann delves into the lesser-known events surrounding the period when Madeleine McCann's mother, Kate, was brought in for questioning following her daughter's disappearance in Portugal.
A mystery that gripped the world, Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining at a restaurant around 55 metres away when they returned to check on their three children and discovered Madeleine was gone. She remains missing to this day.
© AFP via Getty ImagesDirected by Paula Wittig (Black Widow, Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Replica Luxury Handbag), the feature-length factual drama uses official police material, documentary evidence and recorded testimony to explore the period when flawed evidence against the McCanns was released to the press. As a result, public opinion turned against Madeleine's parents, who became prime suspects – a narrative that continues to circulate on social media today.
The film is also the first instalment in a limited series, which will be followed by Suspect: The Road Rage Killer. The second drama explores the case of Tracie Andrews, whose fiancé died in a road rage attack that ultimately led to her becoming the prime suspect.
Keep reading to find out more about the gripping new drama…
What is Suspect: Kate McCann about?
The factual drama centres on real-life events that took place in July 2007, three months after Madeleine's disappearance, when Kate McCann was brought in for questioning by Portuguese police.
The 5 synopsis continues: "What started innocently enough quickly turned hostile – police told Kate that they no longer believed her and would be considering her an 'arguida' (formal suspect).
© Getty Images"Detectives told her they had evidence that would prove her involvement in the disappearance, and that if she didn't confess she would face murder charges.
"Suspect: Kate McCann (wt) focuses on an extraordinary and tense 48-hour period that threatened to halt the search for Madeleine, and which left the McCanns fighting for their freedom. It's the story of every parent's nightmare, somehow getting worse."
Who stars in Suspect: Kate McCann?
Laura Bayston (Killing Eve, Slow Horses, Doctors) leads the drama as Kate and is said to deliver a "raw and visceral" performance of a mother clinging to hope that her daughter would one day be returned.
© WireImageWhat have the creatives said about Suspect: Kate McCann?
Dan Louw, 5's commissioning editor, said: "This fantastic film goes where the cameras couldn't – behind the closed doors of the interview room – to create a deeply moving drama from documentary evidence. 'Suspect: Kate McCann' is one of the most tense, moving and shocking films you will see this year. I cannot praise the writing, directing and acting enough – especially a star-making turn from Laura Bayston as Kate McCann."
Meanwhile, executive producer Nat Lippiett added: "You might think you know these stories, but these powerful, meticulously researched dramas will surprise viewers by shedding light on the lesser-known moments in these iconic crime cases."
Both Suspect: Kate McCann and Suspect: The Road Rage Killer will air on 5 later this year.
