Little Boy Blue aired back in 2017(Image: ITV )
Actor Stephen Graham leads the heartbreaking ITV four-part series.
Little Boy Blue is based on the harrowing real-life murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was killed when walking home alone from football practice in August 2007.
Tragically, the boy was caught in the crossfire of rival gang members and died after being taken to the hospital.
In 2017, the ITV drama was released, a decade after his death, with the involvement of his parents Melanie and Steven Jones, who were played by Sinéad Keenan and Brían F. O’Byrne.
True crime doc ‘better than 24 Hours in Police Custody’ airs worst ever episode
Brutal murder of much-loved mum explored in ‘haunting’ doc tonight
At the time, his parents told Liverpool Echo they wanted to honour his death and show the pressures they were placed under and the huge weight of grief they endured.
Sinead Keenan as Mel Jones and Sonny Beyga as Rhys Jones(Image: ITV)
Stephen took on the role of Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly, the officer who led the team to try and bring Rhys’ killer to justice.
Speaking about playing him in the four-part drama, he told The i Paper: “What I got from him was this amazing tenacity to bring to justice everyone involved in the case.
“I approached it with an element of respectfulness, not just because I’m from Liverpool, but also because I’m playing a man who is still alive. You want to portray the truth of the situation. What I got from him was this amazing tenacity to bring to justice everyone involved in the case – not just the kid involved with the shooting.
Stephen Graham played DS Dave Kelly in the ITV drama(Image: ITV)
“He was such a lovely man. We had some dinner and I met his kids and stuff, so you do feel you have to portray the truth of the man and try and capture the essence of what he was about.
“When I spoke to him there was an emotional chink in David’s armour. Police deal with many cases, but this one really resonated with him because it was an 11-year-old boy.”
Since the drama was released, viewers have praised all of those involved and commented on the heartbreaking true case.
One person wrote: “Well played story in honour of the victims involved. This is such a well scripted story of such a sad event. It pulls u in and you really go through the emotions. Great cast.”
ITV viewers were moved to tears watching the drama(Image: ITV )
Someone else commented: “Tear jerker and heart tugger. This mini-series is an emotional rollercoaster. The actors in the British crime dramas are from top to bottom, off the charts good, and this one is just is no different. And this is based on a true story.”
Another added: “Heartbreaking. This true story is so sad. I watch a lot of true crime depictions but this one had me crying more than once – the acting, especially by the mother, was incredible.”
Little Boy Blue is available to watch on ITVX.