The Moorside
| The Moorside | |
|---|---|
Promotional photograph featuring the cast of The Moorside. L–R: Sian Brooke as Natalie Brown, Sheridan Smith as Julie Bushby and Gemma Whelan as Karen Matthews
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| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Neil McKay |
| Directed by | Paul Whittington |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 2 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Ken Horn |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | 16:9 1080i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 7 February – 14 February 2017 |
| External links | |
| Official page at BBC Programmes | |
The Moorside is a British television drama. Written by Neil McKay and directed by Paul Whittington, it is based on the 2008 disappearance of 9-year-old Shannon Matthews and the subsequent search for her by police and volunteers in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. It stars Sheridan Smith, Gemma Whelan, Sian Brooke and Siobhan Finneran, and was broadcast on BBC One in two one-hour episodes in February 2017.
The title is in reference to the Moorside housing estate in Dewsbury, where the Matthews family lived.
Originally aired 7 February 2017
On the evening of 19 February 2008 on the Moorside estate in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, 9-year-old Shannon Matthews is reported missing by her mother Karen (Whelan). As police search for Shannon during the following days, Karen's friend Julie Bushby (Smith) organises a search team of local volunteers, and Detective Constables Christine Freeman (Finneran) and Alex Grummitt (Steve Oram) question Karen on Shannon's disappearance. Freeman tells Julie that, due to the increasing probability of Shannon being dead, Karen needs to be prepared for the worst, and police tell her to call off the volunteer search, because if Shannon is found dead, the crime scene will need to be preserved, otherwise the investigation may be compromised. However, Julie remains determined that Shannon will be found alive.
As Karen makes emotional appeals to the public for Shannon's return, her friend Natalie Brown (Brooke) becomes increasingly suspicious of her behaviour: among other things, she dances to Freeman's phone's ringtone in front of them and smiles during a march for Shannon. On 14 March, news reaches the community that Shannon has been found alive. Shannon is brought to the police station, where Karen identifies her. As Shannon is taken into care, rumours circulate that she was found at the home of Michael Donovan, the uncle of Karen's boyfriend Craig Meehan.
Note: This episode had an official rating of 9.93 million viewers.
Originally aired 14 February 2017
Freeman and Grummitt tell Karen that Shannon was found under a divan bed in a flat belonging to a man named Michael Donovan in Batley Carr. Karen denies knowing Donovan, but Craig's sister and her husband argue that she was with Donovan (Craig's uncle) at Craig's father's funeral. While in police custody, Donovan tells police that he and Karen planned to hide Shannon in his flat, and later release her so they could claim the money being offered for her return. Karen admits to Freeman that she knows Donovan but still denies involvement in the crime.
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