A documentary into the search for Nicola Bulley has drawn criticism from BBC viewers over the amount of time it gives to social media sleuths.
The programme, titled The Search for Nicola Bulley, aired at 9pm on BBC One, and told the story of the mother-of-two's disappearance and the subsequent investigation, with participation from her family.
Nicola vanished while walking her dog along the River Wyre on January 27, 2023, in St Michael's on Wyre, with interest in the case going global due to the mysterious nature of her disappearance. It prompted social media sleuths to swarm the area and even peddle harmful conspiracy theories.
The 45-year-old's body was later discovered in the river, with one TikToker admitted to earning £9,000 for filming the moment she was pulled from the water.
In one emotional scene in the documentary, Nicola's husband Paul Ansell explained the pressure he was under to give media interviews as people all over the world scrutinised the case. He said that he was ultimately "silenced" by social media, and felt he couldn't address allegations made against him, or reply to vile messages he was sent for fear they would make matters worse.
True crime podcaster Gisela K features heavily in the programme, with clips from TikTokers who combed the scene in the wake of Nicola's disappearance also making up a chunk of the footage.
With the negative influence of social media explored in-depth in the documentary, many viewers were annoyed that any air time was given to people who participated in the online discourse about her disappearance.
"Watching the Nicola Bulley doc, so sad but infuriating seeing the shameless grifters making TikTok videos etc, just vile! Her poor family," wrote one viewer. "Watching The Search For Nicola Bulley. Some of these social media sleuths need to have a word with themselves. Trading speculation and libel for clicks... Imperfect as the system is, there's a reason journalists are trained and regulated," added another.
"If someone on social media or TikTok says it so [sic] - then obviously it must be true. This documentary needs to stop giving these people any credibility or time," another angry viewer shared.
A coroner recorded Nicola’s death as accidental, and said she fell into the river and suffered "cold water shock", and there was "no evidence" to suggest suicide.
