Anyone watching 'Maxine' on Channel 5?

[AnApparitionQuipped]

I watched the first one last night - wondered what people thought. The acting seems a bit over the top; if Ian and Maxine had behaved that suspiciously in real life, I would have thought they'd have been arrested immediately.

For me yes you’re wrong as people watch for different reasons. Me it was curiosity, an interest in this woman, not to be entertained as such, which makes it sound tawdry.

I didn’t think that at the time, I thought she was more calculating and self serving.

Didn't it used to be like 40p a minute to actually ring someone from a mobile (once you'd used up your precious 'free minutes' anyway) but 10p got you a few minutes on a payphone?

It cost a fortune to phone from a mobile i think I was still on PAYG in 02 nobody i knew had contracts.

I’m so sorry about your brother.
i agree with everything you say on the pair of these scum bags x

Lowest common denominator television. I honestly can't get my head round why people watch this stuff, especially when it's Channel 5 and you know there will be no whiff of sensitivity or quality to it.

Why was she arrested for murder and abduction when they knew she was in Grimsby when it happened?
Holly and Jessica and their parents haven't appeared in the drama at all, so I wouldn't say it's been done insensitively.

From memory; ITV have covered the Rochdale grooming scandals, Shannon Matthews, Dennis Neilsen, Fred and Rose, Levi Bellfield and I think Robert Black.

Is that OK because it is ITV, the television channel that gave us X factor, Jeremy Kyle, and the like?

My husband made the same point when we were watching. I wonder if it was linked to the earlier suggestion that Carr had groomed the children to visit the house on that day - i.e. that she had set up the abduction?

I've only watched episode 1 but am a bit confused as I thought it took a while to catch on to Ian Huntleys behaviour. The reporter seems to pick it up straight away.

Obviously don't know what I am talking about.

I wonder if it was linked to the earlier suggestion that Carr had groomed the children to visit the house on that day - i.e. that she had set up the abduction?

Was she charged with this?
I can’t remember.
Did anyone ever give a reason why her job at the primary school wasn’t made permanent?

I haven’t watched yet.

Yes, she was charged with this when arrested. Her eventual conviction was for perverting the cause of justice. The flimsiness of her alibi probably worked in her favour - if a person intended to facilitate a murder as an alibi, but didn't want to witness the murder, it's unlikely they would go 100 miles away for a night on the town; they'd try to avoid being seen anywhere while it was happening.

I think the reporters are fictitious, just there for dramatic reasons to 'share' the audience viewpoint that we know all along Huntley is guilty.

Yes. Carr was felt to be immature. She was overly friendly with the children: wasn’t very good at maintaining boundaries.

She was immature, foolish, selfish, insincere and self centred. I can’t honestly say those adjectives couldn’t be attributed to me too. I was 21, almost 22.

In the beginning no one knew much. The girls just vanished. I think that was why it was so gripping in an awful way - like a sinister fairy tale gone wrong. It fairly soon became clear Carr couldn’t have personally killed them but the police had to establish her precise role. And it was - that she lied.

It would be interesting to meet Carr today. I suspect the woman in her mid forties is light years away from the 2002 one.

Yes. Carr was felt to be immature. She was overly friendly with the children: wasn’t very good at maintaining boundaries.

Her Wikipedia entry also mentions she'd lied about some of her qualifications.

I don’t think her behaviour was unusual. Lots of women protect men. My line of work brings me into contact with women who marry prisoners.Not just those who are inside for tax avoidance or political crimes, but lifers. Murderes, rapists( including those who rape children). You would not believe how many apparently intelligent, sane women strike up a relationships with these men and then want to marry them.
They knowingly do this. Maxine was with a man she thought was ordinary and who was not in prison serving time for a vile offence at the time she met him. I’m not excusing her but putting this into context.
Often the reason women ‘grass up’ their partners is simple. Adultery. That is often the spark which makes them tell the authorities what they know, not because they are outraged on behalf of the victim.

It would be interesting to meet Carr today. I suspect the woman in her mid forties is light years away from the 2002 one.

Not so sure about that… She definitely had a personality disorder but I guess she has received a ton of support from some sort of case worker since her release. Someone keeping an eye on her at least?

Maxine was with a man she thought was ordinary

Yes, I agree. She genuinely believed he was innocent, at least when she first lied for him, and from that point she was caught up in the lie - whether she continued to think he was innocent or not, she had herself to protect because she'd lied to the police.

You’re not wrong there @Penguinsaregreat. Apparently even Levi Bellfield is currently engaged to be married despite being sentenced to life with no chance of parole.

Her reaction when she was told that evidence proved his guilt backs this up. She was beside herself. (Police tapes)

Just watching e2 now.

Do you think? I haven’t read anything relating to a personality disorder- my understanding was that there was a sort of delay there, she has been bullied at school, she hadn’t attended school much, no qualifications, real mummy’s girl, eating disorder. She was sort of stuck in perpetual childhood.

I haven't Channel 5 but the 1st episode is on YouTube

Final episode just starting for anyone watching on live television.

It's possible to be a victim of abuse and coercive control and have periods of full functionality and clarity of thought that gives you power over your abuser. It's not black and white in complex relationships