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The Moorside

531 replies

NancyDonahue · 06/02/2017 09:23

BBC dramatisation based on the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews. Starts Tuesday 7th February 9pm, starring Sheridan Smith.

Obviously a horrendous crime against a young child so I wasn't sure I'd want to watch, but it looks like it focuses on friends of the mother who headed up the search and barely features the child herself.

I love Sheridan Smith too so will give it a go.

OP posts:
Bestthingever · 16/02/2017 11:40

I read in today's paper that the viewing figures for the Moorside were the highest for a BBC drama for several years, beating Sherlock. I put this down to the huge number of people who were appalled by the crime at the time and were hoping this drama may explain why it happened. Unfortunately it didn't really. The article also said that charities have complained that the feelings of Shannon weren't taken into account at all.

2014newme · 16/02/2017 11:43

What have charities got to do with it?🤔

GrubbyHandsKymJon · 16/02/2017 11:46

I really enjoyed watching this but I didn't really like the way it ended. I would love to of seen what happened when Karen was released from prison to see what her life was like then. I think it would of also been a lot better if they had shown more about Shannon instead of making it all about Karen x

MrsJayy · 16/02/2017 11:47

Probably meant the nspcc etc thought the programme was insensitive to Shannon which in fairness this is who it happened to was shannon

2014newme · 16/02/2017 11:48

The program makers did contact Shannons social workers obviously they can't contact her directly. Shannon was an abused and neglected and drugged child. To protect her that did not feature in the programme which was about the community and Julie rather than Shannon.

FairfaxAikman · 16/02/2017 11:58

I remember reading somewhere that there was a bar on Shannon talking about the case until she is 21 (obviously if she wants to that is). So unless there comes a time when she does want to speak, then everything is going to be based on recollections of people who were not drugged and hidden in a divan. That is naturally going to leave holes in the story.

OneWithTheForce · 16/02/2017 12:30

If social services ask you to put your kids in care voluntarily there is nothing wrong with saying "that's a big decision. I need to speak to my solicitor first".
I guess from a dramatic point of view it shows how Julies loyalties are confused while she tries to process what's actually going on.

Don't underestimate the fear and bullshit myths that are prevalent regarding SS. People genuinely do believe that SS steal children to meet targets and that you won't see them again. Some people on MN have had genuinely awful experiences with SS. I've had nothing but great support from them for my son. There seems to be such a disparity in the care and support people get.

OneWithTheForce · 16/02/2017 12:31

And even with the great experience I have had friends and family are still saying things like "just watch those social workers, they'll twist everything you say, they're two faced, they'll turn on you"

mouldycheesefan · 16/02/2017 12:34

The kids should have been taken from her years ago. The bar is set way too high for kids being taken away.

OneWithTheForce · 16/02/2017 12:37

I truly hope Shannon has had the best therapists and counsellors and continues to be able to access them while this is all being dragged up.

Bestthingever · 16/02/2017 12:56

I truly hope for the best for Shannon. We had a neighbour who temporarily took his wife's nephew in who had been removed from his parents with his brother. The family were as awful as Shannon's eg mum and dad having sex in front of the kids. The boys were placed in a foster home close by and were in the same schools as my dcs and they absolutely thrived. The older did well in his GCSEs and the other has turned into a great footballer with a solid circle of friends. They now have contact with their parents. On the other hand, there was a boy who was in foster care in my ds's class. Again he was doing really well but his cousins joined the school and ss decided to move him far away as they felt the mother could reach him like that. It's tragic because his foster parents were great and he had a lot of good friends. I hope Shannon's experience was more like the first story.

FannyWisdom · 16/02/2017 12:56

I wonder how much the police, social services and court cost all together?

I bet it was enough of a sum to have changed all 7 of Karen's children lives drastically.

mouldycheesefan · 16/02/2017 13:03

The police alone cost over £3.5million.

HmmOkay · 16/02/2017 13:06

I thought it was interesting. How many dramas do you have with four women the main characters? Julie, Karen, Natalie and Christine the police officer. Not so many.

And then going a bit further the majority of the men in the drama were portrayed as absent (Shannon's real father a literally shadowy figure out looking for her and the fathers of Julie's children not around), useless (Natalie's partner) or useless or criminal (Craig).

There was a lot to it - drama, pathos, humour. I did laugh when Julie says to Cecil on his motability scooter as he drives past saying she's achieved nothing for the estate "Fucking sling it, Cecil".

Anyone else thinking that the bird scenes were a nod to Kes? Can't have a Yorkshire drama without a bit of Ken Loach. Also the policemen and the end with Julie when he's been watching her son with the birds. "Oh, he's back in school then?"

Yep, that's why he's got his school uniform on Sherlock. No wonder it took the coppers so long to find Shannon. Wink

HmmOkay · 16/02/2017 13:09

^^...useless and criminal (Craig).

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 16/02/2017 13:25

Absolutely onewiththeforce that's why I thought it was worth mentioning. Loads of people think you have to agree to "voluntarily" place your kids in case, as soon as it is suggested or it will somehow "go against you". Its really not the case but people watching might get the impression that it is, from that scene.

DesolateWaist · 16/02/2017 13:25

Thinking about it, the drama didn't go into the details of the actual crime. It wasn't the voyeuristic 'look at the bad people' drama that it could have been. It focused on the women and the community.
It did portray KM and her household as a physical and emotional mess but it also showed Natalie who was far more together.

The comments upthread about people who are middle class getting less SS involvement reminded me of the experience of a friend in early pregnancy.
She was having an appointment with the Midwife and she was asking her questions about her homelife etc. She got to a question about domestic violence and she said 'well no need to ask you that, your a teacher'. As my friend said had she actually been someone suffering DV this might have been her chance to get up the courage to speak out. DV can happen in all classes.

Larainette · 16/02/2017 13:36

Hmm yes I noticed the bit about the 4 women. I've also been watching No Offence at the moment and the main characters are mostly women - the police officers at different levels of seniority, the main criminal (this series) and a good chunk of the other characters too.

carabos · 16/02/2017 13:40

I don't believe that Shannon could be barred from talking about her own story until she's 21. Why 21? 18 is the age of majority. I think there's all sorts of nonsense around this case.

UltimateIdiot · 16/02/2017 13:42

Don't underestimate the fear and bullshit myths that are prevalent regarding SS.

Yep.

As I said I live on a council estate, have a disability, a partner that cares for me and two children, the eldest is autistic.

I felt overwhelmed and like I was struggling, so I mentioned to some local friends that I was going to contact social services to see if there was any help available.

Holy shit! They lost it! Apparently I would have my children take away just because I'm disabled.

I didn't listen and contacted them anyway.

A ss visited but decided I didn't need a social worker (house always clean, home cooked meals, a shit ton of books as we all love reading, regular gp and dentist check ups etc.) but helped me get into contact with people who could help support us some more, dd even got a safe space bed which helped so much!

Anyway I'm just saying in my experience the social worker was lively, kind and only interested in making sure everything was ok for my children.

But I imagine previously if one of my friends was suffering or unable to cope they wouldn't contact ss because of this false 'bogey man' reputation. (Which I personally imagine has been put about by local parents who swear their kids were taken of them for no reason Hmm)

Which of course will only make things ten times worse.

HmmOkay · 16/02/2017 13:44

Yes, I wondered why the press seemed so sure that the people letting off fireworks and drinking beer outside the community centre was a symbol of 'Broken Britain'. Seemed a pretty harmless event for people who were genuinely happy that a 9 year old girl had been found. After so long most of them must have genuinely feared the worst.

Perhaps if it had been held in the church with prosecco and canapes it would have been viewed entirely differently.

Also liked the scene outside court after the verdict where a spokesman was telling the assembled press that Karen Matthews was pure evil. Julie turns round, thinks about mouthing off to him, and then thinks the better of it and heads on alone. Prime opportunity to be the centre of attention there and she chose not to take it. And then at the end we see that she has her child back in school so looks like she is getting her own house in order. Shows that the whole thing humbled her a bit, I think.

2014newme · 16/02/2017 13:44

Of course Shannon isn't banned from talking about it she presumably has counselling where she discusses it. Barred by who? You can't bar someone from talking about their own life 🙄

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 16/02/2017 13:49

I briefly had a pre birth Child Protection thing going on. The lady in the library let me off the price of a fax to the social work department because it was "an emergency"
It was nicely meant but it did freak me out a bit. I just thought "Oh shit everyone is terrified of these people, maybe I should be taking this much more seriously.
As it happened the sw was totally reasonable and we managed to get everything cleared up in one appointment.

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 16/02/2017 13:52

And yeah, I did the listening to people who'd had their kids taken off them thing as well!
Friend: "And can you believe they wrote that I had pikes of laundry in their report"
Me: Shit, I've got a pile of laundry
Friend: And then all this crap about hot water
Me: Oh fuck, sometimes I keep the boiler off to save money..
Etc...etc....

MrsJayy · 16/02/2017 14:05

I think maybe that poster meant banned from going to the press and also the press /media looking for Shannon for her side it might be some sort of protection order for Shannon she is an adult now but still vulnerable. I imagine the papers are chomping at the bit to get the Shannon exclusive

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