Madeleine McCann is the subject of Netflix's latest documentary, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Despite only arriving to the streaming platform on Friday (March 15), the eight-episode series has already proven controversial – by and large because of what Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have had to say about it.

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The true crime docu-series sets out to take an in-depth look into the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while away with her family. She has since become the most famous missing child in the world, following years of extensive searches, unverified sightings, investigations and widespread media coverage.

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann features new interviews with friends of the McCann family and investigators who have worked on the case. Incorporating existing interviews, archive footage and re-enactments, it attempts to piece together the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Madeleine's disappearance and the investigation that followed.

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Two people who did not give their testimonies for the film were Madeleine's mum and dad, Kate and Gerry McCann. They refused to take part in the project and have stressed that the series does not reflect their views.

Ahead of the release of the Netflix show, Madeleine's parents claimed that the documentary "could potentially hinder" their ongoing search for their missing daughter.

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In a statement, the McCanns said: "The production company told us that they were making the documentary and asked us to participate.

"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, it could potentially hinder it.

"Consequently, our views and preferences are not reflected in the programme."

On the day The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann dropped, the McCanns' spokesperson Clarence Mitchell shared further thoughts on behalf of the family during an interview on This Morning.



"This fuels those conspiracy theorists, there's whole websites and forums dedicated to vilifying [Kate and Gerry] and others around them, myself included," Mitchell said.

"It's nonsense. If the allegations that have been disproven and discounted are aired again, I'm afraid it will fuel that. Kate and Gerry ignore all of that."

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Kate and Gerry McCann: Who are Madeleine McCann's parents and what are they doing now?

Both British doctors, Kate and Gerry have three children: Madeleine and her twin siblings.

On the night of Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007, her parents went out for dinner (55 metres away from their holiday apartment, according to The Guardian). They each went back to look in on their children at different times, but when Kate checked at 10pm, she discovered that Madeleine was missing and the police were called.

What followed was an investigation by the Portuguese police, as well as enquiries by the British police. Ultimately, Scotland Yard's investigative review Operation Grange prompted a formal Met Police investigation into her disappearance from 2013 (via BBC News).

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In late 2018 this investigation was granted its latest in a series of six-month extensions, which will take it up to March 31 (via BBC News).

In May 2011, on Madeleine's eighth birthday, Kate published a memoir, Madeleine: Our Daughter’s Disappearance and the Continuing Search for Her.

Madeleine McCann's parents are still holding out hope that, one day, they will find their daughter. They continue to share updates on their website, along with information from the case.

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In May 2018, 11 years after her disappearance, the McCanns shared that "information continues to come in" and that they still "endeavour to do whatever it takes to find her".



The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann is available to stream on Netflix now.



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