A former regional daily journalist who covered a hoax child kidnapping has praised the trailer for a new TV drama about the case.

Ex-Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Richard Edwards, who was the first journalist on the scene after the kidnapping of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews in 2008, has praised the preview for BBC two-parter The Moorside which is due to air tonight.

The programme tells the story of the community search team which set out to find Shannon.

It was later revealed that Shannon’s mother Karen had staged the kidnapping in order to generate money from the publicity.

Former YEP reporter Richard Edwards

Richard, who now works for BBC Radio Leeds and wrote a book called ‘Finding Shannon’ about his experiences covering the case, told his former paper: “I’ve seen the trailer and it looks very good, and looks incredibly accurate. The mannerisms of the people playing those on the estate are absolutely spot on, it’s uncanny.

“The important thing for me is that is tells the story of the people on the estate, people like Julie Bushby, and the incredible effort they put in to find Shannon.

“It’s never really been told before but it was them, essentially, who cracked the case, they saw the real Karen Matthews.”

A sedated Shannon was found 24 days after the kidnapping was reported less than a mile away at the house of the Matthews family friend, Michael Donovan. Both Donovan and Karen Matthews were arrested and eventually received eight years in jail.

Richard added: “It’s hard to believe it happened, even now. Because I was caught up in the middle of it, sometimes I just need reminding.

“It was just bewildering and an absolutely extraordinary event. I’m really looking to watching it.”

The first part of The Moorside airs on BBC1 at 9pm.