Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal — release date, exclusive interviews and everything we know

Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal takes a powerful look at the harrowing news story that hit Spain in 2011, when it was alleged that potentially thousands of babies had been taken from their birth families over many decades across the country.

The episode of the long-running reunion show sees hosts Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell meet mothers and children who believe they were part of the ‘Stolen Baby' controversy as they try to uncover the truth.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal…

Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal – release date

The episode will air in the UK on Tuesday, January 21 at 9pm on ITV1 and will also be available on streaming site ITVX.

Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal – what is it about?

The episode looks at the distressing widespread practice, which began over 80 years ago in Spain under the regime of right-wing dictator General Franco, and is thought to have carried on into the 1990s, where babies were apparently removed from their families. This seems to have been carried out by medics and the Church for financial gain, or because the parents – including single mothers, and those opposed to Franco – were deemed ‘unsuitable’.

“It's good to shine a light on this, but to see how organised it was is shocking,” Nicky Campbell tells What To Watch. “I came away heartbroken and angry. This went on for years and became something beyond its original wicked purposes, and was part of the institutional furniture in Spain. It's unbelievable and terrible. But I met Professor Soledad Luque, who is fighting for the cause and pushing for new legislation to help solve stolen baby cases.”

After they had been taken, the children were then adopted by or sold to other families and in some cases, their birth relatives were falsely told they had died. It is now difficult for many families to obtain proof about what really happened, however, because official documents are frequently missing, incorrect, or have even been doctored.

“These babies were stolen from their parents who were told their children died and some birth certificates may have been forged, so the children will never know they were adopted if their adopted parents don't tell them,” Davina McCall shares.

“There is hope that some of these babies might be found, but at the same time, we've got to think about those children, because they have grown up believing their parents are their parents, and it could be damaging. It's very complicated. But it's an amazing story.”

Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal – what stories are covered?

Nicky meets retired secretary Irene Meca Mateo, from Northern Madrid, who explains how, following her birth in 1953, she was removed from her mother and sold for 25,000 pesetas. After looking into her roots, Irene has already found a cousin and has subsequently discovered more about her birth mother.

“Irene was lovely, and, using DNA matches, she had connected to a cousin, Rocio,” reveals Nicky. “Through that link, she was able to go back to the town where she was born and she eventually learnt about her late mother, who had been sent to a mental institution.”

Davina McCall meets British teaching assistant Ruth Appleby, who lives in Yorkshire, but was residing in La Coruña in Northern Spain when she had her first baby, Rebecca, in 1992. Ruth was informed her newborn had sadly passed away, but after the scandal came to light almost 20 years later, she realised information she had previously been given did not add up, and she suspected that Rebecca had been stolen.

Spanish-born Maria Elena and her mother Ana, who now live in London, also reveal their fears to Davina that Ana’s twin son and daughter were taken from the Madrid hospital where they were born in 1958.

“These women [Ruth and Ana] have got some terrible and similar stories about how they gave birth, and were then told that their babies died,” explains Davina.

The Long Lost Family team then carry out DNA testing and search for any matches on databases, which could uncover more about what really happened to Ruth or Ana’s children. But even though connections have unfortunately not been found for either of the desperate mothers so far, Nicky believes there is hope that families will be able to get answers in the future.

“It’s hard, because some children don't know their parents aren't their biological parents, so they don’t put their DNA on websites because they're not looking for anyone, and they don’t know anyone is looking for them,” he explains.

“There’s expectation though that the DNA culture will expand in Spain like it has in the UK. We're curious about DNA over here and that's what helps us in [Long Lost Family’s spin-off about foundlings] Born Without Trace. But in Spain, it’s still growing, so when that takes off, we may get these cases cracked and people’s lives will take a turn for the better.”

Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal trailer

Unfortunately there isn't a trailer for Long Lost Family Special: The Spanish Baby Scandal but if one is released we will add it to this guide.