Channel 5's factual drama Under Suspicion: Kate McCann drew sharp criticism from audiences when it broadcast on Wednesday evening, with many viewers branding the programme "rubbish" on the social media platform X.
The 90-minute production, which depicted the police questioning of Madeleine McCann's mother three months after the toddler vanished in Portugal in May 2007, failed to captivate its audience despite ongoing public fascination with the case.
The series looks at the investigation which questioned her involvement in her daughters disappearance
|CHANNEL 5
One viewer wrote: "Why is this Channel 5 drama #KateMcCann #UnderSuspicion so rubbish so far? It's almost as rubbish as the incompetent initial Portuguese police investigation."
Another added: "Channel 5 never seem to be consistent with their dramas! Was so looking forward to this but I am so bored! How can this sort of story be boring to tell?"
Another responded: "Thinking exactly the same and going to turn off!"
A fourth expressed: "Unsure as to whether I will be watching anymore of this... Feel like something is off." (sic)
The couple released a statement on the shows airing
|GETTY
Kate and Gerry McCann issued a statement on the day of the broadcast, voicing their concerns about the production.
"We are disappointed knowing that a Channel 5 'docu-drama' will air tonight," they wrote on the Find Madeleine Campaign website.
"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."
The couple, who signed the statement alongside their family, added: "Programmes like this always have a negative impact on our family."
Many fans were left switching off from the series
|CHANNEL 5
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The McCanns noted that May is typically a difficult month for them, 19 years after their daughter disappeared from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
However, not all reactions were negative, as at least one viewer appeared engaged by the content, commenting: "Well this is interesting viewing and makes me more suspicious than ever."
The drama depicted Kate McCann's interrogation by Portuguese authorities during the period when she and her husband Gerry, were treated as suspects between September 2007 and July 2008.
Killing Eve and Slow Horses actress Laura Bayston took on the central role of Kate McCann in what represented her most significant part to date.
Madeleine McCann went missing on holiday in 2007
|GETTY
The production drew on authentic police documentation, with screenwriter Philip Ralph explaining the challenges of recreating the interrogation scenes.
He revealed that Portuguese investigators did not make audio recordings of their interviews with Kate in 2007, instead relying on detailed handwritten notes in Portuguese that were subsequently translated for her to approve.
"The biggest challenge was crafting dialogue that accurately represented the Portuguese police's questions and direction of enquiry whilst also ensuring that Kate's answers were accurate to the record and the facts of the case," Ralph said.
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