Out of respect for the community of Dewsbury Moor who had been through the trauma of searching for Shannon Matthews, this dramatisation was not filmed on The Moorside estate where Shannon and Karen Matthews lived, but instead on a similar estate in Halifax.
Julie Bushby and Natalie Brown were involved with the production and approved of their portrayal by Sheridan Smith and Sian Brooke respectively. Shannon Matthews' family were not involved - it is BBC policy not to contact the people who committed the crimes that are dramatised. Shannon's grandparents expressed their disgust that a TV drama was being made.
In January 2014 the Daily Star reported that producers were considering EastEnders Patsy Palmer or Catherine Tate for the role of Karen Matthews.