Michael Jackson: The Trial has landed on Channel 4 and, once again, the spotlight is firmly on the King of Pop and his most famous home.
And viewers are already asking what really became of Neverland.
The opening episode of the four-part series returned repeatedly to Michael’s sprawling ranch, using previously unheard audio recordings to paint a deeply unsettling picture.
Fans heard Michael speak about Neverland as a place where children could ‘remain young forever’, echoing his long held obsession with Peter Pan.
The programme also revisited his friendship with 10-year-old cancer patient, Gavin Arvizo.
Neverland Ranch features heavily in Michael Jackson: The Trial (Credit: Splashnews.com)
Michael regularly invited Gavin and other children to stay at Neverland, presenting it as a magical refuge inspired by fantasy.
As the documentary makes clear, that dreamlike vision later became inseparable from the serious child abuse allegations made against him.
Michael Jackson: The Trial continues tonight, with scenes showing police raiding Neverland after Michael admitted to sharing his bed with children.
As the story unfolds, many viewers are asking the same question. What actually happened to Neverland?
Michael Jackson: What happened to Neverland?
Neverland Ranch has remained a source of fascination long after Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009.
The vast estate in Santa Barbara County, California, served as both his private home and a personal amusement park from 1988 until 2005.
The ranch has been thrust back into public view by Michael Jackson: The Trial. In its opening moments, sombre music underscored its isolation across 3,000 acres.
In previously unheard recordings, Michael described the privacy the land gave him and his desire to recreate the childhood he felt he had missed.
“Peter Pan knew what the real golden magic of childhood was all about,” he said, describing children staying young forever at Neverland.
Tonight’s episode will show the police raid that marked a turning point for the property.
Neverland also featured heavily in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck alleged they were groomed and abused there as children.
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