To feel a programme dramatising Shannon Matthew's disappearance is in poor taste?

[Annie592]

I watched it. I quite enjoyed it. (I think Sheridan Smith is amazing.). But it doesn't sit quite right with me. I want to be able to say why, but I can't explain it. Maybe because a real life case of a nine year old's abuse doesn't feel like something that should be used for entertainment? Wondering if anyone agrees and can articulate it better? Or whether it's actually an important topic to talk about and I'm being stupid. I honestly don't know. Would appreciate mumsnet thoughts!

I thought it was in extremely bad taste. I also think it romanticised the "community spirit" completely...schmaltzy load of crap...

I highly doubt there was that level of community spirit in reality. It was very unrealistic.

Shannon will not yet be as emotionally mature as the survivors of the crimes of the Wests are because Shannon is only 18.

Appropriate Adult at least was made when the survivors were a lot older and one of the survivors has chosen to speak extensively about what happened to her and has helped other survivors of similar crimes.
Shannon is still very young and very likely still needs time to come to terms with and process what happened to her . The crime committed against Shannon was orchestrated by her own mother and Donovan. Its a lot to come to terms with.

I woulnt call it a working class drama though, it was benefit class. No one seems to have a job or any kind. im Working class I never lived on a council estate, but knew friends who did and certainly level of over crowding and poverty rang true. They were quite sympathetic to her mums boyfried given what a tosser he appeared. Not even putting game console down while police talk to you just breath taking. Yet no one police or his family or any of her friends pulled him
Him. So sad that they seemed to think Craig was the making of her, one can only imagine what her other boyfriends had been like if he was good.

It did seem very soon after, I'm
Suprised she is out so soon. How long did she go to prison for in the end?

She was released back in 2012.

Lass, the situation of the McCanns is directly comparable. A victim of crime is a victim of crime, whether they are direct victims such as Shannon Matthews or indirect victims such as the parents of an abducted child. Further, there are children in their family who are also directly involved

I disagree. The McCanns are emotionally mature adults who have actively sought publicity and have resorted to the courts when they consider they were misrepresented. They gave evidence to a Commons committee on press intrusion. They have a voice and know when and how to use it. That is not a criticism of them but they are not comparable with Shannon Matthews

Are we seeing Karen as a victim because she's a woman? She's a child abuser and a deeply unpleasant and manipulative woman I am in Australia, so coverage of this at the time was scarse. I did watch the first episode and did some digging online, after Craig said "I am not the ony one who uses it" when they took the PC away, because as I seemed to recall that Craig was jailed for having indecent images on his computer. The press must have had a field day with that...BUT, Craig was 22 when arrested and he was in a relationship with Karen for 5yrs prior to that, so he was 16/17 when they met, and she late 20s. I find it shocking how nothing seemed to have been made of that, and no one on here has mentioned it...yet if this was Shannon's dad, and his 22yr old girlfriend hiding her, the age difference would have been used against him, why not Karen??

I get that he was old enough to consent, but I have read on here many times how a 16yr old girl wouldn't know what she was doing if her bf was 28 etc. Why do we think that it would be different for Craig? I am not excusing him, btw! Also someone previously said that he didn't put down his game controller when the police were there, also in the programme he was portrayed as vulnerable...(his mum and sister speaking for him, etc) so it looks like he was a very immauture, young niave 22yr old, who was easily manipulated by Karen. Again, that doesn't excuse his actions. But again, that side of her (Karen) was never highlighted here, I wonder if it was in the UK?

I hadn't realised that about his age. He didn't have any involvement in the kidnap. He was arrested for having indecent child content on the computer.

I watched that you video linked on here yesterday. It's was extremely interesting. I also watched the appeal by KM and it struck me how alike the character looked to her. I also thought the scene with the bear was dramatised to show her fakeness after the fact iyswim? Didn't realise she actually did that.

The more I'm learning about the actual events of that month the more I'm leaning towards the programme being in bad taste. It seems more sensationalising it.

He didn't have any involvement in the kidnap. He was arrested for having indecent child content on the computer. I know...I was just surprised by the fact that his age, and the inappropriateness of their relationship in the early days was never mentioned, or that no one seemed to think him living with a 28yr old was an issue...as I said, if the genders were reversed, it would have been mentioned.

KM was 28 nine years ago?! She looked a lot older.

No, s

No, she was 32 at that time.

HelenaDove, your argument doesn't really work as there was a programme on TV about the West murders 10 years earlier than Appropriate Adult. There have been similar programmes about well-known cases involving children over the years with similar small time lapses.

Lass, you're ignoring Madeleine McCann's siblings.

Jesus why do people on these threads bang on about "if the genders were reversed" "why are people being sympathetic to KM just bcs she's a woman?"

No one is being sympathetic to KM. everyone agrees what she did was terrible.

The impression given seemed to be that Shannon's disappearance was the most exciting thing to ever happen to the community. All that utterly cringey "Marching for Shannon", releasing balloons and moonlit vigils with the singing. All that made me actually squirm.

It made me and dh squirm as well. I usually love SS but I found her hard to watch in this. It came across to me that they were enjoying their marching and vigils a bit too much, it just didn't seem to come from a place of being genuine in their need to help find Shannon. Maybe it was the acting, I'm not sure, but it did make me squirm.

The character or Julie was pretty awful.

I've just watched it on iplayer having only seen first five minutes before I read this thread. I still think Sheridan smiths performance was awful but it could have been the one dimensional character she was playing. There was quite a telling bit when someone said the tea lights spelling out Shannon were a great touch and she had a satisfied smirk on her face like she was orchestrating the whole thing to make her look like a saint and Big Kahuna of the Community.

The tea lights, the marches etc were what occurred though as was the partying when Shannon was discovered.

There are plenty of people like "Julie" on very run down estates. Various agencies and organisations realise this now and harness their help with ongoing community problems because when all is said and done they often DO care deeply about their communities and they WILL step up and say "we won't accept this and here's what we can do".

Many community projects succeed and make a difference because if the Julies of this world.

Yes I don't think SS is playing JB particularly sympathetically and that won't be accidental. SS is too good an actress.

In interviews JB seems to think her and SS have become good mates. I wonder if SS would agree.

Alfie that's really interesting and yes, I can see how a prominent extroverted character could be influential in a close knit, probably suspicious and cynical community.

Didn't Julie stand by Karen through court? I think it says a lot that she struggled to accept and believe that a parent could do such a thing to their child. Although she's portrayed as a less than perfect parent there is obviously a heart in there. I genuinely believe the marches etc were because she cared. I don't think it was for the attention. She appears as a mother hen type figure and I don't think the characters on the docudrama were changed from the characters actually involved.

Trouble is, very often with these mother hen types they're very much keener on mothering everyone but their actual kids.

Deeply deeply unpleasant couple. At least those kids have escaped them
And I sincerely hope they have a happy life.

Lass, you're ignoring Madeleine McCann's siblings

No I am not. The McCann siblings lost their sister- they were not abused by their parents. They are not the primary victim.

yourenotkidsingme Julie went to visit her for four years, supposedly to "get answers". She is also saying that KM wouldn't have posessed the intellectual capacity to orcestrate the plan on her own.

"What you have to remember is that Karen is a child in a woman's body". Direct quote from Julie. I'm trying to work out whether this is someone making excuses for a friend, or whether it's a woman who is still desperately seeking answers and closure from an incident she invested so much of her time in.

Typos...sorry.