10 Things you need to know about powerful new drama Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue is not only the tale of a family overwhelmed by grief but of a police force up against gang welfare...

1 Rhys Jones was walking home from football training in Croxteth, Liverpool, on 22 August 2007 when he was fatally shot in broad daylight. He was just 11 years old.

ITV’s emotive new four-part drama Little Boy Blue tells the devastating story of Rhys’ death and the subsequent murder investigation.

2 The series was made with the full consent of Rhys’ parents, Melanie and Steve Jones. “We thought it was important for people to understand what really happened – how close Rhys’ murderer came to escaping justice…” they said. “Though some may find what happened to us shocking, we think it is crucial to tell the whole story.”

3 Melanie is played by Sinead Keenan (above), who is best known for BBC3 drama Being Human. Brían F O’Byrne (above, second left), who has mainly starred in American dramas, plays Steve. Both actors are Irish, but adopt Scouse accents here.

4 The Joneses credited the work of Merseyside Police’s Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly in catching Rhys’ killer, saying his efforts “cannot be over-estimated”. Dave ‘Ned’ Kelly is played by Stephen Graham (best known for his roles in Taboo, Decline And Fall and This Is England).

5 Look out too for Dan Skinner, who plays Detective Chief Superintendent Brian McNeill. He’s best known for his comedy character Angelos Epithemiou, from wacky panel show Shooting Stars. He’s very much playing it straight here, though.

6 The title Little Boy Blue refers to Rhys being a huge Everton FC fan. Three days after Rhys was killed, his parents and brother Owen led a minute’s silence at Everton’s Goodison Park before their match against Blackburn Rovers. The drama re-created that moment during half time at Everton’s game against West Ham in October last year.

7 Fans were asked to stay in their seats during half time so the reconstruction could be filmed, as Sinead and Brían, plus Matthew Roberts, who plays Owen, stood at the side of the pitch (above). Actors played the then-Everton manager David Moyes and former Blackburn boss Mark Hughes. Sinead tweeted afterwards: ‘Everton, you outdid yourselves… Thanks for staying in your seats, and props to all West Ham fans that stayed at half time.’

8 The series is written and executive produced by Jeff Pope, who wrote the Oscar-nominated film Philomena and TV hits including Mrs Biggs. He also produced The Moorside and Appropriate Adult, which were both also based on real-life, high-profile British crimes.

9 The series explores tensions between Liverpool’s notorious Croxteth Crew and Norris Green gangs, and finding witnesses to come forward was one of the police’s greatest challenges throughout the investigation. The Joneses paid tribute to “the simple courage shown by some of those involved in these events, and their refusal to be intimidated”.

10 As it’s a true story, the drama will stick to the facts till the very end. Sean Mercer, who was 16 when he shot Rhys, was convicted of the murder in December 2008 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

NEW! Little Boy Blue, Monday, 9pm, ITV