Years in the making, this intimate documentary draws on rare access to Leah Croucher's family to tell the story behind one of Britain's most high-profile missing person cases
UKTV has commissioned brand-new true crime documentary The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent's Nightmare (2x75’) for U. This U&Original series is produced by Impossible Factual and will air on free streaming service U and U&W in 2026. International distribution is being handled by ITV Studios.
In February 2019, John and Claire Croucher's lives were turned upside down when their 19-year-old daughter Leah disappeared on her way to work in Milton Keynes. As the search stretched from months into years, the family endured unimaginable heartbreak. The case had a profound impact on the entire family, who also suffered the loss of Leah's brother, Haydon, during the search for Leah.
Seen through the eyes of Leah's parents, this documentary explores one of Britain's most high-profile missing person cases, from Leah's vanishing in 2019 to the devastating discovery of her body more than three years later. Over the last four years the filmmakers built a trusted relationship with Leah's family that began during her disappearance, securing exclusive access to tell their story for the first time.
The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent’s Nightmare has been commissioned by Emile Nawagamuwa, Commissioning Editor with Helen Nightingale, Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment, Commissioning, and ordered for U and U&W by Gerald Casey, Director of Programming, Unscripted and Hilary Rosen, Commissioning Director. Jonathan Drake and Steve Maher are Executive Producers for Impossible Factual, and Adam Luria is Series Director.
Emile Nawagamuwa said, "Leah's disappearance moved the nation. At the heart of this story is a family who have faced unimaginable heartbreak with extraordinary courage. We are privileged that John, Claire and Jade have chosen to share their experience with us for the first time. This is an important and necessary film that not only honours Leah's memory, but also sparks vital conversations about how we ensure tragedies like this never happen again.”
Adam Luria added, “This is a project we’ve been working on with Leah’s family and Thames Valley Police for a long time and we’re really excited to be making it for UKTV. Leah’s story is one of the most shocking and heart-breaking that the UK has seen in recent years and we’re hoping this documentary will support her parents, John and Claire, and her sister, Jade, as they seek changes to British legislation to ensure something like this can’t happen to another family in the future.”
The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent’s Nightmare is in production now and will be available to stream on and on air on U&W in 2026 as UKTV continues to commission insightful and inspiring unscripted content, including the likes of Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder, Paul C. Brunson: Red Flag and Hashtag Homicide.
For more information, please contact:
Lauren Mutimer, Publicist, UKTV – lauren.mutimer@uktv.co.uk
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of British television for over 30 years, with programmes spanning comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, available across its channel portfolio and its free streaming service, U (u.co.uk).
Shows from UKTV’s free‑to‑air channels - U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY and U&eden - can be watched free in the UK on U, and via Freeview, Freesat, Freely, Sky and Virgin Media, with on‑demand access to thousands of hours of original commissions, acquisitions and archive titles. UKTV also operates dedicated FAST channels in the UK on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Prime, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV’s pay TV brands - U&GOLD and U&alibi - are available in the UK via Sky, Virgin Media and NOW. In Ireland, UKTV's channels are available via Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity, commissioning original content and working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers across genres. UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK’s most-awarded production company and commercial subsidiary of the BBC.
About U
U is UKTV’s free streaming service in the UK, offering on-demand access to programmes from UKTV’s free-to-air channels: U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY and U&eden. U is available online at and via the U app on mobile devices and tablets, as well as on smart TVs and streaming platforms including Freeview Play, Freely, Amazon Fire TV, YouView, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Freesat, Sky Glass, Sky Stream, NOW and Roku. Thousands of hours of selected U content are also available on Channel 4’s streaming service. U provides access to over 9,000 hours of programming, including exclusive original commissions, UK premieres and iconic BBC titles across drama, comedy, entertainment and factual entertainment. It was nominated for Best Streaming Service at the 2025 Edinburgh Television Festival Awards, and again in 2026. Programmes available on U include Bergerac, Whitstable Pearl, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Marlow Murder Club, Outrageous, The Bill, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Guy Martin: Proper Jobs, Bangers & Cash, Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake and MasterChef Australia. U is the streaming home for UKTV’s channel brands and their on-demand catalogue in the UK.
About U&W
Sky 157, Virgin Media 125, Freeview 25, Freesat 28 & Freely 156
U&W’s quality mix of UKTV Originals includes heart‑warming series led by some of the UK’s most loved talent, uplifting frontline shows that shine a light on heroic emergency services, and true crime programming rooted in empathy for the victims at the heart of each story. U&W shows are available to watch free in the UK on UKTV’s streaming service, U (u.co.uk). Winner of Broadcast Digital Awards’ Entertainment Channel of the Year 2024, U&W is life unfiltered - capturing raw, genuine moments where emotions run high and people reveal their true selves. U&W Originals include award‑winning hits such as Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake, Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over and Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA, At Home With Katherine Ryan and Katie Piper’s Jailhouse Mums; powerful frontline series including Inside the Ambulance, Young Midwives of Essex, Nurses on the Ward and 999 Rescue Squad; and gripping true crime titles Back From The Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?, Red Flag and Lies, Deceit & Betrayal. Shows from U&W can be watched for free in the UK on UKTV’s free streaming service, U (u.co.uk).
About IMPOSSIBLE FACTUAL
IMPOSSIBLE FACTUAL is a multi-award-winning, UK-based independent television pro-duction company founded in 2013 by Managing Director Jonathan Drake and Creative Director Steve Maher. Adam Luria became the company’s Head of Documentary in 2021. Productions include T-REX AUTOPSY, LIVE! (National Geographic), Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning film GREEN BOOK: GUIDE TO FREEDOM (Smithsonian), critically acclaimed investigative history single THE WOMAN IN THE IRON COFFIN (WNET/DRG), epic blue-chip science and ancient history series THE SECRETS TO CIVILISATION (CuriosityStream), and technically groundbreaking WW2 colourisation and restoration series, LIBERATION: D-DAY TO BERLIN (Paramount/NGCi). They have also recently produced returnable formatted series: HISTORY: THE INTERESTING BITS (Curiosity/National Geographic), and SCARY TALES OF NEW YORK (Curiosity/Sky History), hard hitting True Crime, YORKSHIRE RIPPER THE SECRET MURDERS, (ITV, ITVG), and THE HUNT FOR THE CHAMELEON KILLER, (AMC), archaeology/science specials THE CAMBRIDGESHIRE CRUCIFIXION, (WNET/Arte/BBC) and THE LOST SCROLLS OF HERCULANEUM (WNET/FranceTV/Channel 5). TROY STORY, (Arte/ZDF), BLACK DEATH: PATIENT ZERO, (Arte/ZDF, WNET), and most recently C4’s hit documentary with Rob Rinder and Dr Fern Riddell- QUEEN VICTORIA; SECRET MARRIAGE, SECRET CHILD, (Channel 4).