A new documentary examining what happened to Jay Slater is being made by Candour Productions.
The Leeds-based indie had unique access to his post-mortem and inquest, as well as his family, as they searched for answers about what happened to him, while also reacting the abuse and conspiracy theories that circled online.
“We have been working with Debbie and Warren and Jay’s wider family since last June,” explained Executive Producer Anna Hall.
“What we have witnessed has been utterly horrific – not only the pain of a family in deep grief, but the full onslaught of the online world, the world of tiktokers and youtubers who feel they can say whatever they like, widely speculating about one family’s tragedy. It is appalling what has happened to Jay’s family – and we hope this film will help to bring awareness of the real life consequences of online speculation. It is an unmonitored world where fake news runs rife – and this film shows the devastating impact this has had on one grieving family.“
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The 19-year-old was found dead at the bottom of a ravine in Tenerife in July 2024. He’d suffered head injuries consistent with a fall from height. Between his disappearance and the discovery of his body a few weeks later there was intense international speculation to understand what had happened.
Candour has been with the family throughout and their’s were the only media in the world granted full access to film both Jay’s post-mortem and inside the church at Jay’s funeral.
Channel 4 explained that this was not only about a tragedy, but a story of a “new world we live in of ‘online true crime armchair detectives’ and the consequences of the ferile, unchecked online world.”
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“The story of Jay Slater captured the nation last summer with a fervour and intensity fuelled by armchair detectives and internet culture,” said Rita Daniels, Commissioning Editor.
“We are so glad to be working with Anna on a sensitively handled exploration of the family’s experience, and understanding the impact of being in the middle of a social media storm, amplified by grief. The film holds a light up to our current society and is exactly the story that is a necessity for Channel 4 to tell.”
The Disappearance of Jay Slater is a single film, Executive Producer Anna Hall, directed by Annaliese Edwards for Candour Productions, commissioned by Rita Daniels for Channel 4.
