LONDON, England – “Five minutes,” says a clipboard-carrying assistant, sticking a head around the door, before adding tellingly: “A showbiz five minutes.”

The McCanns have launched a 48-hour media blitz in a fresh bid for information about their missing daughter.

Waiting to interview the McCanns these days is to bear witness to a well-drilled media circus: a luxury suite in a London hotel; trays of croissants, pastries and jugs of coffee; a revolving cast of journalists asking variations of the same questions.

“The doctors will see you now,” the same assistant quips as three more reporters shuffle through. It is a setting and a schedule tailored to the whims of film stars or musicians, in town to promote a summer blockbuster or a brand new album.

Of course Kate and Gerry McCann - both medical doctors — have nothing to sell. They are here to raise awareness about the ongoing campaign to find their missing daughter, Madeleine, who vanished without trace from a Portuguese beach resort during a family holiday a year ago this Saturday.

The McCanns have been criticized in some quarters for using the media to raise awareness about Madeleine’s disappearance, notably since they were named by Portuguese police as formal suspects, or “arguidos” in the case.

That criticism has clearly hurt. They are defensive about their use of the media, arguing that for 99 percent of the time they try to lead a normal family life, focusing their energies on their young twins, Madeleine’s younger brother and sister.

This 48-hour blitz has been carefully planned, they say, to capitalize on the inevitable coverage that the anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance would have generated. Kate admits that her daughter has become iconic of the plight of missing children over the past 12 months.

Twelve months since they first stepped in front of the full glare of the world’s media, the McCanns appear relaxed and comfortable in front of a camera. Articulate and composed, the couple naturally pick up each other’s sentences and thoughts. They have sacrificed “normal life” in the belief that their daughter is still out there, waiting to be found.

“This is not about Kate and Gerry McCann,” Kate says. “This is about Madeleine.”

If the emotions of the case are still raw, it is hard to tell. 

Watch Emily Chang’s interview with the McCanns here