The Courier releases first ever investigative documentary

The Courier’s investigations team this week releases documentary ‘A Short Walk Home: The Disappearance of Allan Bryant Jnr’, a deep-dive examination of how a Fife man came to vanish without trace over eight years ago.

Running at more than 30-minutes and available to subscribers of The Courier’s website, the cold-case investigation examines the disappearance of 23-year-old Allan who went missing after leaving a Glenrothes nightclub.

Led by The Courier’s impact investigations reporter Sean O’Neil and videographer Blair Dingwall, the documentary takes a fresh look at the mystery, speaking with those who knew Allan and people connected with the case. Witness testimonies have been painstakingly analysed and questions are asked about the Police Scotland investigation.

As well as presenting its findings in this, its first online film, The Courier is also running stories in print. O’Neil was supported in the investigation by DC Thomson’s Steve Brown and Kenny Smith who filmed and edited the content. Designer Roddie Reid and Group Head of Video Drew Farrell created graphics for the piece while Cheryl Livingstone supported as story designer.

Last year, The Courier’s sister title The Press and Journal created its own online documentary ‘Missing from The Broch: The Disappearance of Shaun Ritchie’, which traced the last hours of a local man who also vanished without trace.

This feature broke previous content engagement records on the website, seeing almost 1,000 people signing up to watch in the first 10 days.

Richard Prest, Head of Content Development for DC Thomson’s news brands, who commissioned both films said: “This type of investigation is another important example of the quality journalism being produced by DC Thomson titles with the aim of helping the communities we serve.

“We are also thankful to the Bryant family for their involvement in this documentary and can only hope it produced one single piece of new evidence that finally gives them the answers they deserve.”

Mark Asquith, Head of AV for DC Thomson’s news brands, said: “A Short Walk Home is a beautifully shot piece of film that tells a powerful story with compassion and care for Allan Bryant Jnr and his family.

“As the latest documentary from the Audio Visual and Impact team at DC Thomson, I’m proud that it demonstrates how digital journalism is changing the way we reach and support our communities.”

The trailer for ‘A Short Walk Home: The Disappearance of Allan Bryant Jnr’ can be seen below and the full film is available to watch online here.