Nicola Bulley BBC documentary maker speaks out and says 'it was nerve-racking'

The director behind a BBC documentary into Nicola Bulley's disappearance has said it was 'nerve-racking' to put the partner of the mother-of-two back into public focus.

The Search For Nicola Bulley explores the media coverage and the impact of 'amateur internet sleuths' conducting their own investigations, as well as hearing from police and Ms Bulley's family. She disappeared on January 27, 2023 while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancs, shortly after dropping her daughters at school.

Her sister, Louise Cunningham, along with her parents Ernest and Dorothy Bulley and partner Paul Ansell, all participated in the documentary as they reveal the impact of the public scrutiny on their lives. Director Rachel Lob-levyt, who worked on Louis Theroux Interviews and Hospital, told the Radio Times that the 'family tell their story in their own words, unfiltered'.

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She added: "We had a viewing with the family. It was difficult obviously emotional for them. They feel the documentary really honours their experience, and honours Nikki.

"At the time she went missing, Paul was subject to a really difficult level of scrutiny. The idea of putting himself back in the public eye is nerve-racking but ultimately, he thought it the right thing to do.

"The social media sleuths felt entitled to say whatever they wanted. In the past we'd have talked about these things in the pub, whereas now people broadcast it online and everything is accelerated. Opinion takes on similar weight to verified information."

A coroner recorded Ms Bulley's death as accidental, and said she fell into the river and suffered 'cold water shock', and there was 'no evidence' to