Despair for tragic Rhys

You could never accuse TV writer and producer Jeff Pope of shying away from tough subjects.

Prior to tackling the Shannon Matthews kidnapping earlier this year in BBC1’s The Moorside, Pope had already made TV dramas about Fred and Rose West, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and Peter Sutcliffe.

His latest project Little Boy Blue could be the most controversial of the lot – and the most upsetting.

Over four parts, it tells the story of the 2007 murder of 11-year-old Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones and the investigation into his killing.

It was made with the full blessing and co-operation of Rhys’ parents Melanie and Steven, which didn’t make last night’s first episode any less harrowing to watch.

If you’d managed to take your hand from your dumbstruck mouth you might have echoed the words of the detective in charge of the case, Dave Kelly (Stephen Graham): “How the f*** does this happen to an 11-year-old in broad daylight?”

Little Boy Blue features some powerful performances, particularly from Sinead Keenan and Bryan F O’Byrne as Rhys’ parents.

Speaking of the drama, Melanie and Steven said: “We wanted to show the devastating effect the loss of our beloved son Rhys had on our family and how the grieving process affected us long beyond the ‘closure’ of a guilty verdict.”

On the evidence so far I think they will be granted that wish.