The Moorside.

Well, she was a rotten mother by all accounts and did a dreadful thing but she has been to prison for it and has lost all her children as a result which is a life-time punishment.

I don't actually care if she is happy or not but I think she should be left alone and not have to keep hiding all her life. I do feel that all the children have a right to lead happy lives if possible, away from any press intrusion and I hope that they do not try to trace Shannon.

mrsmopp We do not know, we can only guess the type of upbringing karen had herself. If she did not experience a stable loving family life, how can she provide it
I don't know what kind of upbringing she had but I did hear or read somewhere that her parents were the only ones who gave Karen's children some stability and love and they wanted to take them on when Karen went to prison.
For whatever reason, social workers decided against that but it may not have been because they were unsuitable, it may have been because it was decided they were better with new names, new lives.

Agreed rigby I too dip into the online Daily Mail occasionally and some of the comments are truly disgusting and unbelievably cruel. All of the 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' type comments, with n0 compassion or understanding at all. When we came back from our holiday, there was a copy of the Mail on Sunday on every seat ( a way of boosting circulation I assume). After about 10 minutes, DH turned to me and said this is truly nasty, there is nothing in this paper but gossip, speculation and sheer bloody nastiness, truly disgusting. It makes you feel soiled just reading it. I know this isn't about the Daily Mail, but about Karen Matthews, and we all obviously have our views on her, and on whether the drama should have been made or not, but I hope we all can agree that the Daily Mail treatment of her post broadcast has been poisonous, and surely must be breaching some sort of guidelines if she has been given a new identity?

Ana they are known as BTL ( below the line comments ). Some are truly truly awful and as a general point I don't read them - some make you wNt to go and have a shower

I didn't even know you could comment on online newspaper articles.

And the DM is doing all this because The Moorside brought the whole case up again as it was absolutely bound to do. I also think incidentally that you have to differentiate between readers of the print DM and the online DM. Like Iam I access the online version because I find it illuminating to get their 'take' on issues and so I have evidence on which to criticise it My guess would be that we are not alone but the demographics of those that buy it might well be different and I wonder if there are any letters in the print version critical of their KM coverage?

Agree Iam64 , she has served her sentence and should be left alone to get on with her life . Glad to hear that there are some compassionate readers of the DM ! not the usual deport them , hang them brigade . Very irresponsible of the Daily fail to publish details in an attempt to whip up hatred .

I look at the DM on line most mornings (and survive the experience). They have been printing new photographs of KM daily since news of this tv drama was first published. Today's photographs show her leaving a bible meeting she's attending, states she is working as a volunteer in a charity shop, has died her hair black and gives the new name she is using. It doesn't say which town but tells us what part of the country this woman is attempting to live in and re-build her life. Interestingly, all the comments from readers said enough, leave the woman alone, she's served her sentence and seems to be trying to live a decent life. I do hope that paper takes notice of its readers, who aren't usually to be found posting that kind of more liberal or compassionate comment in circumstances like these.

We do not know, we can only guess the type of upbringing karen had herself. If she did not experience a stable loving family life, how can she provide it? She knows nothing of love if she was not loved. These patterns of behaviour tend to repeat themselves. With consequences.

Shannon didn't need this programme to be made. Very insensitive to a young woman who has being building a new life for 8 years.

I commented at the beginning of this discussion that I didn't believe the drama should have been made, it's far too recent and Karen Matthews had 7 children all of whom will have been affected by the tv production.

I did watch it though, I found it compelling, well cast, brilliantly acted and it reflected the strengths and weaknesses of the people living on that estate. Despite that, I stand by my original view that it was not in the best interests of any of the children for the programme to be made. I can't see the tv programme would help S, now or at any future date, to see her mother as "more a case of sad not bad, used and abused rather than the wicked monster portrayed in the nastier parts of the press" (GillT57 above). As POGS pointed out earlier, hair strand tests confirmed S had been given temazepan over a two year period, presumably to keep her docile/encourage her to sleep a lot. We can only speculate about the lives those 7 children lived in the care of their mother and her various partners. All the children are in need of stable and loving care, carers and professionals who can help them attempt to make some sense of their life experiences. They also need protecting from people who want to exploit their life to make a drama - to make money. I do hope this is the end of that kind of thing for these children

But it was wrong for the producers of the drama to play God in that way - if it were part of their motivation, which I doubt anyway. Without talking to her/ her new family, no one could possibly know how it might impact on her. It just wasn't their call to make. Obviously, she and her family will say nothing about it which makes it all the more one sided. All those children need protecting and this drama was not in say way, shape or form in their best interests as it was just sprung on them. I don't think we can make post hoc justifications for what was IMO a very unethical act. Say for example, it had impacted very badly on her so that she harmed herself? What would we be saying now?

True Rigby, it must have impacted on her, but possibly for the best? Maybe it helped Shannon to realise that her mother was more a case of sad not bad, used and abused rather than the wicked monster portrayed in the nastier parts of the press? I hope that all of the children are with good understanding families who will help to break the depressing repetition of poor education and poor life chances. It was interesting how the horrendous family of Craig were in court all flamed up about what Karen had done when what Craig was involved with was not only worse but a major cause of the break up of the 'family'. Karen was stupid, feckless, lazy and a fantasist but he was a paedophile.

i said on the first page it was too early to make this drama . Let us not forget there were seven children in this family .

Yes I do appreciate that Gill but don't you think it's a bit disingenuous to believe it wouldn't have impacted on her? The drama was only possible because of what happened to her wasn't it and all the coverage I saw of it mentioned her and what happened to her (inevitably)

I think the point is Rigby46 that the drama was not really about Shannon at all, it was about the estate where she lived, the relationships, the feckless and woeful parenting by Karen and her latest partner, the lack of life opportunities for people like Karen.

AB - I couldn't disagree more. Although in fact as I've said upthread I don't think it should have been made anyway, full stop. It's too recent and there is nothing really to learn is there from such a one off event. But when someone decided to make it, the very least, morally and ethically they could and should have done is firstly make contact with SM and the family who now care for her to discuss the idea. I wonder what she's made if it all - all over Twitter, Facebook - a young woman whose life was turned upside down and whose terrible experience is now drama for the masses ( again). Nobody seems to agree with me that it shouldn't have been made but I'm surprised if no one on GN thinks it was acceptable to treat SM and her feelings as collateral damage

As Shannon was not portrayed in the drama I suppose they didn't need to consult her

Jalima, no, the BBC did not consult Shannon before they made or aired the programme. They didn't even speak to her.

I believe they got a third party to inform her when it was to be shown.

Ana I should have made that more clear. By my walk a mile comment. I meant to say we need to know about her background before we make harsh judgement's about her as a person.

Poor Karen was not very bright and really had nothing going for her from the start. She really was a disaster waiting to happen. I do feel sorry for her.

I would not say Karen was "clever enough" to think up the idea of the kidnap. She was quite obviously totally incapable of realising that she could never get away with this plan and that she and her accomplice would never be able to give a believable account of what happened. Our police are not that stupid.

This was another stupidly conceived crime.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2302741/Philpott-family-deaths-Mick-Mairead-convicted-killing-children-house-Derby.html

The acting in Moorside was superb. I could really believe in those characters.

I do hope the children, and particularly Shannon, have been able to move on and had the love and care they needed to get their lives back to some sense of normality.

Presumably the BBC consulted Shannon, who is now 18, before they aired this?

I think it is a very shocking case. I thought so at the time and the excellent drama reinforced my views. So very sad that a mum could behave like that. So sad if the tragic McCann case triggered their actions. Such a contract between the two families. I feel very sad for them all. Such broken lives and so hard to mend and put right.

"Was the child tested for drugs whilst living with her mother" in response to AB wanted to be sure of my facts, have been out all day but just googled an old Guardian article that said, toxicology reports on Shannon's hair confirmed that she had been given a sleeping drug for about 2 years.

Contrary to some on here I didn't think it was well acted I can't pin my finger on why I think that, except that when a drama is well acted I feel I m 'in it' but all through this I knew they were acting, I have to say Karen looked remarkable how she did in photos.

I never felt sorry for her or her naah do well partner low IQ or not ... she was clever enough to work out the logistics of getting Shannon 'kidnapped'

So I watch it, it was ok but I wasn't bowled over by it at all

Well acted and interesting.

I found it interesting that the script was endorsing that "No comment" as a response actually means "yes" or "I'm guilty".