Some might argue that it’s concerning how people unwind by watching true crime series, but there’s no denying the genre’s immense popularity.
This is in large part due to Netflix’s extensive collection of chilling stories, including titles like The Imposter, I Am A Stalker, and The Good Nurse.
Now, a new series has been released, telling another awful true story.
Viewers have been left deeply saddened and angered by the controversial documentary.
One person commented: “Just watched on Netflix and I still to this day remember it being on TV remember the red Man United red tops and the story!”
“Still makes me sick to this day even after watching that my thoughts still go out to Holly and Jessica’s families.”
Another viewer adds: “Grim grim grim!”
“What awful people I remember it being on the news like it was yesterday, and I was only young.”
Someone else wrote: “It’s wild to me that the new Netflix show has a character in it based on my actual old head teacher. Really shows how close to home the Soham murders were.”
“Just watched on Netflix. Evil scum, both of them. Hits hard, especially as a father,” says a fourth.
“Just finished watching on Netflix. It’s really made my blood boil,” a fifth person comments.
Another viewer shares: “This is grim watching. Are we meant to feel sorry for her?”
Someone else adds: “If producers had any decency they would pull the plug on this. Really not fair on Holly and Jessica’s families.”
“I must be getting old because I’m struggling not to find it all in the most absurdly bad taste,” another agrees.
The show is a three-part series that delves into the investigation of Maxine Carr and her boyfriend Ian Huntley, now 49, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.
Huntley, who worked as a school caretaker at Soham Village College, lured 10-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells into his home, where he murdered them. He then disposed of their bodies in a ditch at an airbase in Suffolk.
Carr, who was employed as a teaching assistant at the school, provided Huntley with a false alibi to help him cover up his crimes.
In one interview, she referred to Holly as ‘a little angel’ and described Jessica as a ‘very funny’ little girl.
According to The Mirror, she even participated in search parties to find the two missing children.
Huntley was eventually apprehended and sentenced to two consecutive life terms, with the High Court later imposing a minimum term of 40 years.
Carr received a three-and-a-half-year sentence for obstructing justice by knowingly giving her boyfriend a false alibi.
She served only 21 months of her sentence before being released in 2004 under a new identity.
Following her release, Carr went into hiding to escape the intense public and media scrutiny surrounding her case.
Little is known about her life since then, as she has stayed out of the public eye to protect her anonymity and safety.
According to the Mirror, Huntley is now described as a ‘skinny old man’ with a troubled life in prison.
Currently held at HMP Frankland, Huntley has endured significant difficulties, including multiple attacks by fellow inmates and various health problems.
His behavior has been erratic, alternating between arrogance and profound remorse at different times.
Despite his efforts to convey remorse in recorded messages, Huntley remains a highly controversial figure, infamous for his violent past and the horrific nature of his crimes.
Huntley and Carr first met in 1999 at a nightclub in Grimsby when she was 22 and he was 25.
Carr claimed she was ‘instantly attracted’ to Huntley due to his charming personality, and they quickly started dating, according to The Sun.
The drama Maxine, which aired on Channel 5 in 2022, features Jemma Carlton in her television debut as Maxine Carr and Scott Reid from Line of Duty as Huntley.
Upon its release, the true crime series received poor reviews from critics, with many criticizing the show for depicting Carr in a sympathetic light.
James Hibbs of the Radio Times observed: “Perhaps because the creatives behind Maxine were so aware of how contentious it would be, the series never quite gets to any larger point.
“Instead, it skirts around numerous potential insights, but never fully commits to them.”
Ben Frow, Channel 5’s director of programs, defended the documentary at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, stating: “We did debate, should we [or] shouldn’t we, how do we [approach it].”
“I am confident that we are in a very good space with it. I feel very proud of it. I think we have been deeply respectful to the victims, whilst shining a light on some very challenging issues that Maxine Carr lived with.”
“I’m not making any excuses for her, but it’s an interesting way of looking at a very well-told story. This is a different prism through which we’re telling that story.”
The show has now been released on Netflix in the UK and Britbox in the US, which means the controversy is likely to persist.
