The disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the most famous missing child in the world, is to be re-examined in a Netflix documentary going live on Friday.
The three-year-old vanished from the resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal in May 2007, while on holiday with her family.
Now, nearly 12 years later, an eight-part series will blend 120 hours of interviews with more than 40 new contributors to delve into the disappearance, the police investigation, and the intense media intrigue around the case.
Netflix said the series will feature “never-before-heard testimonies from those at the heart of the story, including friends of the McCann family, investigators working the case and from those who became the subject of media speculation and rumour”.
But Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, refused to take part in the programme and have criticised it, claiming it “could potentially hinder” the search for their daughter.
The McCanns previously said in a statement: “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.”
In 2011 Scotland Yard launched an investigation, Operation Grange, after a Portuguese inquiry failed to make any headway on Madeleine’s disappearance.
In November last year, a further £150,000 was granted to the investigation to allow it to continue until 31 March.
Force bosses have been applying for funding from the Home Office every six months to continue the inquiry, which has cost about £11.75million so far.
Since the day she disappeared, the McCanns have pledged never to give up the search for their daughter, and though countless unverified sightings have been reported and hundreds of theories have emerged, no trace of Madeleine has yet emerged.