What is Little Boy Blue about? The true story behind the Stephen Graham drama

Little Boy Blue is a gripping four-part drama going out across four consecutive nights this week.

It stars Line Of Duty actor Stephen Graham as Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly, who leads an investigation into a tragic death.

First airing in 2017, ITV has brought it back to give people a second chance to watch the heartbreaking programme, based on real life events.

What is Little Boy Blue about?

It is a dramatisation of the death of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was fatally shot in 2007.

Rhys was heading home after football practice when he was shot in the back in the car park of the Fir Tree pub in Croxeth, Liverpool, an innocent bystander in the middle of a feud between two rival gangs.

His mum Melanie heard what had happened and was driven to the car park where paramedics tried to resuscitate Rhys for an hour and a half, but he tragically died.

Rhys’ killer, 18-year-old Sean Mercer, was found guilty in 2008 and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years. Mercer fired three shots from a revolver, the second of which killed Rhys.

He is imprisoned in HMP Frankland in Durham where he will remain until 2030 at the earliest.

Who was Rhys Jones?

The 11-year-old had unwittingly walked into a feud between two gangs – Croxteth Crew and the Strand Gang.

The Everton fan was on his way home from football practice when he was struck in the neck by a stray bullet as he walked across a pub car park.

Rhys’ best friend Connor Irwin, now 21, told Sunday People three years ago that he felt Rhys would have been a professional player now had he not been killed.

‘He was a good lad, funny, no-one ever had a bad word to say about him. Never in any trouble and always up for a laugh,’ he said.

‘He loved his football and we just had a good group of mates.’

Rhys funeral was attended by 2,500 mourners dressed in bright colours and football kits, including some of the members of his favourite football team.

Melanie and Rhys’s dad Steve supported the drama.

They said at the time: ‘It is very important to us, and our other son Owen to keep his memory alive.’

Graham previously said he was ‘proud’ to be involved and recalled meeting Kelly as part of his research.

He told iNews: ‘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.

‘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.’

Being Human star Sinead Keenan and Prime Suspect actor Brian F. O’Byrne play Melanie and Steve Jones with newcomer Sonny Beyga playing Rhys.

Little Boy Blue airs tonight at 9pm on ITV.

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