Kidnapped Alex Batty: BBC documentary Kidnapped By My Mum on man who 'escaped' mother in Spain - how to watch

A man who came to national attention after 'escaping' his mother in Spain after claiming he was abducted at the age of 11 says their relationship is a "complicated thing". Alex Batty, 20, went missing from Oldham, Greater Manchester, in 2017 after his mother Melanie Batty, who was not his legal guardian, took him on a pre-arranged trip to Spain with his grandfather, David Batty.

After six years of a lifestyle cut off from the outside world, often without basic amenities, Mr Batty chose to escape in 2023 and was found near the French city of Toulouse in December 2023 after walking across the Pyrenees. Now, he has spoken to the BBC for a new documentary - Kidnapped By My Mum - retracing the journey he took across Spain and France, and said he was “mad” that authorities did not do more to step in.

“My relationship with my mum is such a complicated thing," he said. "I’m annoyed at what she did; the experiences I missed out on, my lack of education. But speaking to all these people about my mum opened up my eyes to why she did what she did.

“This entire trip has reconnected me to my mum and grandad, and made me want to build that bridge again. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to get to the point where I can go and see them and have an enjoyable time rather than have my mum push things down my throat like she used to do.”

He told the programme during their time staying on campsites in France in 2022 he would eat one meal a day. “My mum would tell me constantly, ‘you need to do spiritual work’, ‘you need to do inner work’, but when I was 15, I started really thinking for myself," he said.

“I’d try and find my own answers and when I did, if they differed in any way, it would start a row. It was constant battles, constant arguments, constant yelling. So, she kicked me out of her campervan. I was living in a tent for a few months while my mum had this really nice warm campervan next to me.”

One campsite owner told the programme she called French social services about the family, but was told they could not do anything because Mr Batty was foreign and they did not have his true identity. Mr Batty said: “You think that would make them want to come more. I’m so mad, so mad, that no-one did anything.”

Last year, Greater Manchester Police said a criminal investigation into the alleged abduction had been discontinued because there was no realistic chance of a prosecution.

According to the documentary, since his return to the UK Mr Batty passed his maths and English GCSEs, and became father to a baby girl in January.

Programme-makers said Mr Batty’s mother was invited to respond to allegations but declined, while his grandfather was contacted but no response was received.

The French social services bureau, France Enfance Protegee, told the BBC they could not comment on Alex’s specific case due to confidentiality.

:: Kidnapped By My Mum aired on BBC Three at 9pm and BBC One at 10.40pm on Wednesday (May 13). It is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.