Netflix to launch McCann doc this week amid criticism

Netflix is to launch its doc on the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann on Friday (15 March), amid criticism that it has not gained access to key individuals in the case.

The streamer has confirmed that The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann will launch on Netflix, taking a detailed look at the disappearance of three-year-old McCann, who vanished from the seaside resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007. The launch will go ahead despite criticism from the missing child’s family and those in the TV industry, according to The Guardian.

Parents Kate and Gerry McCann have urged those around them to refuse to speak to the title’s production company Pulse Films.

It is said that the prodco has spoken to up to 40 sources for the doc, but very few with fresh news that will further public knowledge of the case, according to The Guardian’s sources, many of whom speculate that the doc will be heavily reliant on archival footage.

Netflix says the film will blend interviews with 40 contributors, 120 hours of interviews, archival news footage and re-enactments to highlight the case.

It also states that the series has access to “never-before-heard” testimonies from friends of the family and investigators.

Directed by Chris Smith, the talent behind Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, the doc is exec produced by Emma Cooper and produced by UK-based Pulse Films in association with Paramount Television.

Cooper departed Pulse Films earlier this year, following a restructure of the producer’s TV arm.