WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Stolen Girl.
The much-anticipated psychological thriller The Stolen Girl has landed with a key difference from the original book it’s based on.
Disney+ and Hulu subscribers in the UK and US were treated to all five gripping episodes of the drama on Wednesday, April 16.
Concerned mum Elisa Blix (portrayed by Denise Gough) was hesitant about letting her nine year old daughter Lucia attend her first sleepover until she met Rebecca (Holliday Grainger), the mother of Lucia’s friend.
Rebecca, who seemed charming and responsible, lived in a beautiful home, which convinced Elisa to allow Lucia to go to the sleepover, much to her daughter’s joy.
However, the story takes a sinister turn when it is revealed that Rebecca and her family don’t actually live in the house, and she abducts Lucia, leaving Elisa and her husband in shock.
The burning question remains – why did Rebecca take Lucia and will Elisa ever see her daughter again?
The Stolen Girl is adapted from the best-selling novel Playdate by author Alex Dahl, published in 2020.
While the TV adaptation stays largely true to the original source, a significant change was made in the transition from page to screen.
Dahl, a Norwegian author, set Playdate in Norway, primarily in the town of Sandefjord, although the narrative does venture to the French Pyrenees and briefly to other European locations.
The Disney+ and Hulu limited series, The Stolen Girl, was filmed and set in Manchester, home to the Blix family.
France also features prominently in the series, along with other locations such as The Glass House in Liverpool’s Fulwood Park, Blackpool Airport and Dover port.
Missing people are falling through the gaps, experiencing serious harm while they are away, with little or no support to help address the reasons why they left. They need help, so they don’t go missing again.
A dedicated strategy led by the Home Office, Department for Education, and Department for Health and Social Care would provide the proper attention and resources.
Without this, thousands will continue to go missing without support. and, when they return, there will be no meaningful opportunity to speak to anyone about why they left, or what happened while they were away. This leaves vulnerable people, who are often in crisis, with no support.
Life is never hopeless. Everyone should know that someone cares, and that help is available from organisations such as the charity Missing People.
The Mirror is calling for:
• The publication of a new missing children and adults strategy to ensure police, health and social care play their part
• Investment in prevention for those at most risk of going missing
• Support to be offered to every missing child and adult on their return
You can help by signing our petition here.
This shift in location was likely an attempt to appeal to both British and American audiences, rather than setting the show in Norway.
Kevin Jackson, the supervising locations manager, told Radio Times that a lot of the series is set in Manchester City Centre, which involved “did a lot of walking around, because a lot of it is set in Manchester City Centre”.
He added: “You might get a director saying to you, ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’ll know it when I see it,’ and that’s great because it gives you the freedom to go and find different things.
“It’s nice to have a brief but it’s also nice to get creative. You’ve got to have that cohesion with your director and production designer, and it’s really good when it all clicks.”
Despite most of the show being set in Manchester, actress Holliday Grainger revealed she only spent three days filming there, compared to five weeks in France.
“For most of the time, we were at this amazing, beautiful bastide – this huge house that was so gorgeous and perfect for a bohemian family home,” she said.
“The idea of…the life she [her character] was expecting made so much sense in the house with this beautiful artwork and the kids’ rooms with murals.
“Walking through the town to a French bakery for fresh bread and pastries for the kids. When you’re there, you kind of fall into that world. It was lovely.”
The Stolen Girl is available to watch on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US.
• The Mirror is using its platform to launch Missed – a campaign to shine a light on underrepresented public-facing missing persons in the UK via a live interactive map, in collaboration with Missing People Charity. Because every missing person, no matter their background or circumstances, is someone’s loved one. And they are always Missed.
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