We’re getting a shocking new Disney+ documentary all about Duffy

an image of Welsh singer Duffy attending a Performing Arts reception at Buckingham Palace in 2011 — (Image credit: Chris Jackson - WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Duffy not only had some of the best tunes of the noughties but also one of the most shocking stories. In 2020, after years of silence following a whirlwind rise to fame and mysterious disappearance from the spotlight, the singer revealed she had been drugged, raped, and held hostage over several weeks. Now, she will be sharing her story as part of a new documentary on Disney+.

The feature-length documentary will be a Hulu Original premiering on Disney+. It was confirmed in an announcement made at Series Mania by Angela Jain, Disney+’s head of content for EMEA, in a keynote address.

Grammy, Brit, and Ivor Novello award-winning Duffy was one of the biggest artists in the late 2000s with hits like Mercy and Warwick Avenue. Shortly after, she disappeared and wasn’t seen or heard from for 10 years later. In 2020 she revealed via Instagram what she had been subjected to – having been kidnapped, drugged, and taken to another country where she was violently and sexually abused.

Duffy - Mercy - YouTube

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According to Disney+, the singer has barely been seen or heard from since – until now. The original docu-film will be driven by new, unprecedented access to Duffy, along with a rich and nostalgic archive, and interviews with family, friends, and close peers in the music industry.

Documenting her life in this way for the first time, the series will be a "retrospective film traversing Duffy’s life, from her upbringing in Wales, through to her meteoric rise to fame and her withdrawal from public life following her unfathomable experience,” according to the streamer.

The original documentary film will be driven by new, unprecedented access to Duffy, along with a rich and nostalgic archive, and interviews with family, friends and close peers in the music industry.

Speaking about the announcement, Jain said: “She has entrusted us with her story, so we really have a huge responsibility to handle this with care and sensitivity, because she’s speaking about what happened to her for the first time."

Production on the documentary, which will be directed by Gil Callan, is et to start soon.

“This film will give Duffy the chance to tell her story in her own words.” Sean Doyle, VP: Unscripted for Europe, Middle East and Africa explained. "I am grateful to our collaborators at Rare TV for this unprecedented access, along with Stellify Media for handling this project with sensitivity and care. We set out in a search for impactful, female-led stories in collaboration with Northern Ireland Screen, and it’s a privilege that Duffy’s is the first we’re able to help tell.”

“But above all, I’m especially in awe of Duffy — for her honesty and courage to share her story,” he added.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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