For the last few evenings we've been obsessed with watching the complicated case of Sarah Polly's disappearance unfold in the new ITV drama series Gone. And it turns out the gripping series is inspired by a real life cold case.
Gone is a six-part series that follows DS Annie Cassidy (Eve Myles) as she investigates the disappearance of Sarah Polly, and digs into her life with husband Michael Polly (David Morrissey), a formidable headmaster of a prestigious school, and her daughter Alana (Emma Appleton). However, as the case progresses the investigators must soon change tact and deal with a whole new tense situation.
Alongside this case, Annie is working on solving another mystery, the disappearance of a woman called Tina Bradley who has been missing for several years. Over time Annie has gotten closer to Tina's mother, but as her focus is centred on Sarah's case Tina's mother begins to lose faith in Annie.
If you've been watching the opening credits you may have seen the credit that reads: "Inspired by the book 'To Hunt a Killer' by Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy" so who are the authors of To Hunt a Killer? And how did it inspire the Gone series? Here's what you need to know.
Is Gone based on a true story?
Ok, so yes and no. The disappearance of Sarah Polly, which takes up most of the show, is an entirely fictional plot. And the show goes onto make it very clear it's a work of fiction, with the disclaim of the end of each episode saying: "The story, names, characters, places, and incidents portrayed in this series are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance between characters and places in the series and actual living individuals or real places is coincidental, not intended, and not should not be inferred."
However, the general police investigative work and cold case solving is partly inspired by the work of former Detective Superintendent Julie Mackay of Gloucestershire Police.
Mackay solved the cold case of the murder of a 17-year-old girl called Melanie Road, more than three decades after Melanie's death.
Julie Mackay ended up writing a book about her work on Melanie's case alongside ITV reporter Robert Murphy.
Speaking of the similarities between herself and the character of DS Annie Cassidy in an interview with Radio Times, Mackay said: "Annie Cassidy is a detective sergeant, as I was when I started on the Melanie Road case. It's the rank that works at the coal face, on the nitty-gritty, following up lines of enquiry."
However, she also acknowledged the pair's differences, explaining: "Annie is her own person; she's not me at that stage. I was a single mother with three kids – my life was chaotic. Annie is gutsy and intuitive; she's like a dog with a bone, refusing to let things go, even when it’s against the rules."
What happened to Melanie Road?
In June 1984 Melanie Road was 17 years old when she was attacked on her way home from a nightclub in Bath. She was stabbed 26 times and sexually assaulted.
Her body was discovered by a milkman and his son in the early hours of 9 June. For 32 years her family never got a solid answer as to who was responsible for Melanie's death.
How did Julie Mackay solve Melanie Road's case?
Mackay worked on Melanie's case for a number of years before she was finally able to get a breakthrough. In 2015 Christopher Hampton was arrested was for Melanie's murder after his daughter's arrest lead to the mystery of Melanie's death being solved.
Back in 2014 Hampton's daughter was arrested for a minor incident and her DNA was kept on file, the police were then able link her DNA to her father's which was found on a piece of Melanie's clothing.
In 2016 Hampton pled guilty to Melanie's murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 22 years.
Gone is available on ITVX now and returns on ITV1 on Sunday evening
