When is the Madeline McCann documentary on Netflix in the UK? Is there a trailer? And what have her parents said?
Netflix are jumping on the true crime bandwagon yet again. Within the coming weeks, the streaming giant will drop an eight-part documentary all about the abduction of Madeleine McCann, who went missing twelve years ago during a family holiday in Portugal.
Then three-year-old Maddy McCann was taken from her hotel room as she slept alongside her twin younger siblings, while her parents were eating dinner at a restaurant close by. It’s been reported that the new Netflix series will speak to high profile investigators involved in the case, attempting to piece together the events of that fateful night in 2007, no doubt spurring on a new group of armchair detectives.
Here's everything we know so far about the Madeline McCann documentary on Netflix...
When is the Madeleine McCann documentary on Netflix in the UK?
It was released on March 15 2019.
Is there a trailer?
Yes.
Watch the trailer for The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
What will the Madeleine McCann Netflix documentary cover?
The 8-part documentary will be all about the abduction of British girl Madeleine McCann, who tragically went missing twelve years ago after a family holiday in Portugal. The three-year-old was taken from her hotel room as she slept alongside her twin younger siblings, while her parents were eating dinner at a restaurant close by. It’s been reported that the new Netflix series will speak to high profile investigators involved in the case, attempting to piece together the events of that fateful night in 2007.
How have Gerry and Kate McCann responded?
The biggest opponents of the documentary are her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. The pair hit out in a statement released by spokesperson Clarence Mitchell earlier this week, saying: "The production company told us that they were making the documentary and asked us to participate. But they want nothing to do with it."
The couple added: "We did not see and still do not see how this programme will help the search for Madeleine and, particularly given there is an active police investigation, could potentially hinder it.
"Consequently, our views and preferences are not reflected in the programme. We will not be making any further statements or giving interviews regarding this programme."
Without the parents' involvement, the documentary is obviously missing one of the most important components. And their worries that a new documentary might disrupt the investigation is understandable.
But then again, with the success of shows such as Leaving Neverland and Surviving R Kelly – the wave making documentaries looking at alleged abuse claims against Michael Jackson and R Kelly respectively – it makes sense that the broadcaster wants to make the show.
Following public outcry and a frenzied media reaction, the disappearance became one of the most high profile missing persons case in history, with both a Portuguese police and an £11 million Scotland Yard investigation launched.
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Indeed, it is a story that has captured the imagination of the world, with everyone having an opinion about who 'did' it. The Portuguese police and the McCanns themselves have frequently been the subject of criticism, with some saying the former were incompetent and the latter were negligent.
And, of course, the investigation is still on going – with detectives recently pleading for more public funding from the Home Office, so the case can be investigated up until 2020. And in December, Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick supported the long-running probe into the case, with an additional £150,000 having been granted last November.
The most recent update is that an unnamed German man is now a suspect in the case.
The 43-year-old German national is currently in prison, but was in the area where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
He frequented Portugal with two vehicles, a VW camper van and a Jaguar, which he transferred into another name the day after Madeleine's disappearance.
He has also been convicted of numerous child sex abuse offences.