Sheridan Smith’s new BBC drama about Shannon Matthews is SLAMMED by the abducted schoolgirl’s relatives who brand it a ‘disgrace’

"What happened to her was a trauma, a tragedy. It is sick and disgusting that it is being turned into a TV show.

"It isn’t entertainment. It’s real life and it hasn’t even been ten years since it happened.

"If she sees it, Shannon is old enough now to understand that it is about her. She will know it is about the terrible things that happened to her. How is that fair?"

The 73-year-old also blasted actress Sheridan Smith, who plays mum Karen's friend and neighbour Julie Bushby who led the search for Shannon, and the other cast members for agreeing to take part in the show.

Grandfather Gordon added: "I won’t have that programme on in this house. What they’re doing isn’t right. The poor love. She should be left alone to forget."

The pair claim further insult was added when they received a letter from the production company behind the drama asking them to pass a letter on to daughter Karen, who served an eight year sentence for the despicable crime along with accomplice Michael Donovan, explaining she is to be one of the characters in the show.

The parents haven't seen or heard from her since she was arrested for the terrible crime, they say.

Since Shannon's faked kidnapping in 2008 Gordon’s health has deteriorated badly. He has lost almost three stones in weight and has been in and out of hospital, with anxiety leaving him without an appetite.

Karen Matthews was dubbed ‘the most hated mum in Britain’ for the crime.

The first part of The Moorside will be aired on BBC1 on February 7 at 9pm.

It will conclude a week later with the second half.

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