It's been nearly 170 days since Madeleine McCann went missing. Every twist, turn and development has been scrutinised in this country, while in Portugal, slowly but surely the allegations against Kate and Gerry McCann have become more lurid.
The media was quick off the mark to realise the level of interest in the case - it's arguable that the profile the case was given has ensured that the Portuguese police haven't been able to just file it away. Perhaps it is only because of the intense media scrutiny that new officers are involved in the case rather than the, how shall we put this, 'murky' ones who obviously weren't doing their jobs properly in the first place.
There's no doubting some of things written in the Press have been done just to give an editor a reason to stick Madeleine's face on the front page. But there are many more instances where the media is trying to play a part in finding Madeleine.
One such example is on telly tonight at 9pm. It's on Channel 4 and it is a Dispatches special. Searching for Madeleine, a Dispatches Special takes a team of the UK's top criminal investigators to review the near-six-month investigation in Madeleine's disappearance. It's the sort of programme which offers a fresh set of eyes on something so scrutinised. The conclusions they will draw will presumably emerge at the end.
But here's the real reason to watch: It's only dealing in the facts. Rub away most of what we've seen, heard, think we've been told and there still isn't that much to go on. And while, sadly, the hunt for Madeleine McCann has become a morbid guessing game for many across the globe, this Dispatches programme is actually at least trying to help work out what's gone wrong so far, and how to put it right.
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