Under Suspicion: Kate McCann is worth your time

Under Suspicion: Kate McCann may not glean anything new, nor will it sway any dead-set minds when it comes to Madeleine McCann. But it is riveting, emotionally fraught television, and one of the best dramas to come out of Channel 5 this year.

Everyone knows about Madeleine McCann. It is arguably the most (in)famous missing person case of the 21st century, if not all time. That’s a fair reason to turn it into a drama. Nearly two decades on, the search continues, UK authorities are seeking a trial for the prime suspect, and people are absolutely still interested.

However, there’s a consequence of its ubiquity. How do you make a compelling show out of a story that your everyday viewer is probably incredibly knowledgeable on (not to mention those who’ve obsessed over it)?

Maybe that’s why it’s taken so long for a drama directly based on it. Perhaps (and hopefully) it was out of respect. Either way, Under Suspicion: Kate McCann is incredibly impressive; sensitive, gripping, and beyond all else, fundamentally well-made.
The new drama focuses on Kate McCann’s “interrogation” (Credit: Channel 5)

What is Under Suspicion: Kate McCann about?

Three months after Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, her mum Kate is brought in for a meeting with the Portuguese police.

By this point, they’ve yet to find any substantial leads, nor any solid evidence, and no arrests have been made. As Kate sits down, she quickly realises that something is off between her and the two inspectors.

When she asks them why they’re talking to her like she played a role in her daughter’s disappearance, they give her a blunt answer: “Because we don’t believe you.”

The drama, directed by Paula Wittig, centres around Kate’s interviews, culminating in her being declared an “arguida” – a formal suspect.

The sheer tension between Bayston’s Kate, the inspectors, and her translator (Borja) is pretty affecting. The vast majority of the drama is taut, passive-aggressive back-and-forths, with the police’s side-eyeing suspicions colliding with Kate’s bemused, upset frustrations.

It smartly avoids casting its narrative net too broadly into other areas of Madeleine’s disappearance. It’s laser-focused on Kate; her grief, her anguish, and how she tries to navigate an unimaginable situation.

That makes for an engrossing drama. It may even leave you with a lump in your throat and a tear or two.

Laura Bayston is fantastic in Under Suspicion: Kate McCann (Credit: Channel 5)

Who’s in the cast of Under Suspicion: Kate McCann?

Laura Bayston, an actress who’s appeared in Killing Eve and Doctors, plays Kate McCann.

With all respect to Bayston, her past credits are incomparable. Not in terms of quality, but this is a big, showy role that’s a serious test of her capabilities – and she absolutely nails it.

It’s a revelatory performance; the kind of turn that makes you think, “Where the hell has she been all this time?”

Hugo Nicolau’s inspector (whose name has been changed to João Carlos, though he’s clearly based on Gonçalo Amaral) is a solid sparring partner. The smarminess is a little too dialed-up (“Ridículo,” he bitterly quips at one of Kate’s comments). But, given his real-life counterpart was famously at odds with the McCanns, maybe this was a fair creative decision.

Other cast members (like Miguel Freire as an inspector and Joana Borja’s translator) don’t make as big of an impression. This isn’t their fault, nor is it a problem with the drama. They have less to do because the onus of the drama rightfully lies with Bayston and Nicolau.

James Robinson appears briefly as Gerry McCann. Fun fact: he played young William Wallace in Braveheart!

Is Under Suspicion: Kate McCann worth watching?

You’re probably curious enough about Under Suspicion: Kate McCann that you’re going to watch it. After all, why else would you be here?

But, in this writer’s opinion, it’s a far better and more accomplished piece of TV than you may be expecting.

Its camerawork – gritty, real, handheld, mostly in close-up and emphasised with small, piercing zooms – is reminiscent of Zero Dark Thirty and even Succession. The pacing is perfect; at one hour 25 minutes (with adverts), it doesn’t leave much space for your mind to wander.

There are other subtle aspects worth praising. One of Kate’s recurring dreams of Madeleine in a red coat could be read as an evocation of Don’t Look Now, Nicolas Roeg’s legendary, traumatising horror movie. That’s not the kind of thing you’d expect from a Channel 5 drama.

To be clear, that isn’t a slight on some of the broadcaster’s fun, trashier offerings, like Number One Fan. But here’s the thing: Under Suspicion: Kate McCann isn’t disposable entertainment: it’s great.

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