THREE MOTHERS, TWO BABIES AND A SCANDAL

At the turn of the millennium a news story exploded on both sides of the Atlantic. In Wales, Judith Kilshaw and her husband Alan were looking to expand their family. It was the early days of the internet, and anything seemed possible. The Kilshaws surfed adoption sites and found twin baby girls in the US, born to a young American mother, Tranda. But when Judith and Alan returned home to Wales with the twins global outrage ensued. The Kilshaws stood accused of buying the babies online and the new World Wide Web appeared to facilitate a global baby trade.

Then a second couple emerged – the Allens from California - who claimed the twins had been kidnapped from their home.

Three Mothers, Two Babies and a Scandal is an Amazon Original three part series, available on Amazon Prime Video from 18 November.

Three Mothers, Two Babies and a Scandal (Prime Video) is a thoroughly gripping three-part documentary, though as it begins with a woman denying that she was “buying and selling babies”, it’s hard to see how this tale could have been anything but fascinating. It could, however, have been salacious, and it is a testament to the makers that it manages to be both engrossing as well as sensitive to all involved. It tells the story of three women, the mothers of the title, who became involved in an adoption scandal partially caused by the unregulated earlyish days of the internet.... What happens next is astonishing, and as you watch each episode, that feeling of astonishment only grows.

The Guardian

This week's ten to watch - number 1: Three Mothers, Two Babies and a Scandal

The i

The story of “the internet twins” – perhaps better known as the “cash for babies” scandal – has so many bizarre twists and turns, and such an extensive cast of eccentric characters, it could fill not just a tabloid but an entire newspaper stand.

The Independent