ITV has commissioned a new documentary titled “Madeleine McCann: The Search for a Suspect” (w/t), produced by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios. The 1x60’ film will air in September across ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, as convicted rapist Christian Brueckner—the only suspect formally named by Portuguese police—approaches the end of his prison sentence for an unrelated 2005 rape charge. His release is expected in September 2025.
The program will feature, for the first time in depth, analysis from Dr Graham Hill, a former senior detective, criminologist and criminal profiler who played a pivotal role in the investigation. At the request of the Home Office, Hill traveled to Portugal in the days immediately following Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in 2007 to advise police, where he recommended broadening the scope of the inquiry. His review later contributed to the creation of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange in 2011, which continues to investigate the case today.
Mike Blair, Creative Director, Factual Programming at MultiStory Media, commented: “To have Dr Graham Hill speak for the first time in depth about his work on this case is such a privilege. This is a man who has spent decades researching major crime and working with law enforcement agencies across the UK and America. His insights into this case, right from the very beginning, are invaluable.”
Tom Giles, Controller of Current Affairs at ITV, added: “Dr Hill is a foremost expert on this case, having been boots on the ground from the start and many years in the field profiling such suspects. This is a significant piece of work on a case that remains one of the most talked about in history.”
Dr Hill said: “I've been involved in this case in one way or another for 18 years since Madeleine went missing in May 2007, and the more that I've learned about the investigation, the more frustrated I've become. The longer it goes on without Christian B being charged, the more likely it looks like he's going to be released very soon. His backstory, his criminal offending, the picture of the man we're getting from his acquaintances and the German police… I want to pull all of that together and answer the question, ‘Is Christian Bruckner the type of man that could have abducted and murdered Madeleine McCann and ultimately does the information that we now have about him suggest that he is the person who committed that crime?’”
The documentary combines Hill’s detailed profiling with contributions from forensic psychologists, journalists, and acquaintances of Brueckner to present a comprehensive portrait of the man at the center of one of the world’s most infamous unsolved cases. The program will ultimately explore the question: “What does justice look like when the threshold for criminal charges isn’t met, but evidence against a suspect remains potentially damning?”
ITV Studios will handle international distribution for “Madeleine McCann: The Search for a Suspect”.
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