THE PR GURU
Clarence Mitchell, PR guru and family spokesman. A former Foreign Office official and government spin doctor, he became the McCanns' official spokesman on September 18 and immediately orchestrated a turnaround in British media coverage: stories about the parents' possible guilt were replaced by stories about the renewed search for Maddie, and sightings

THE LAWYERS
The McCanns' legal defence team has swelled to include top British and Portuguese experts. They are Rogerio Alves, President of the Portuguese Bar Association; Carlos Pinto de Abreu, President of the Portuguese Human Rights Committee; Angus McBride of Kingsley Napley; and Michael Caplan QC, who once defended ex-Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet against extradition.

THE FINANCIAL BACKERS
Double-glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy was revealed to be the latest mystery backer. He is paying Clarence Mitchell's wages and has offered his in-house lawyer Ed Smethurst. Virgin tycoon Richard Branson has given the McCanns £100,000 to help in legal costs. The Find Madeleine Fund, from public donations, stands at more than £1m. Celebrities from JK Rowling to Wayne Rooney have swelled a reward for information to £2.5m. Many other financial backers remain anonymous.

THE FORENSIC EXPERT
Dan Krane, a DNA specialist from Ohio, has been hired to defend the forensic case against them. Krane, a biology professor from Wright University in Pennsylvania, has taken part in more than 60 judgments where DNA evidence was crucial to the case.

THE FRIENDS
A host of friends and family members have remained in the spotlight, principally Gerry McCann's brother John McCann and sister Philomena McCann and their friend Esther McVey, who acts as spokesperson for the Find Madeleine Fund.

Seven friends were on holiday with the McCanns in Praia da Luz, collectively dubbed the 'Tapas 9'. They are Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien, Matthew Oldfield, Rachel Oldfield, Fiona Payne, David Payne, and Dianne Webster.

THE POLICE
A trio of detectives has formed the backbone of the investigation. Guilhermino Encarnacao is head of the Policia Judiciaria for the Algarve, Portugal's CID. Described as a 'desk strategist', he is the detective leading the enquiry into Madeleine's disappearance.

Paulo Rebelo was appointed on October 10 to head up the Portimao Policia Judiciaria team investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Rebelo, 45, was previously based in Lisbon, where he had a reputation for being a discreet and highly experienced criminal investigator. He has replaced Goncalo Amarel, who had led the investigation since Madeleine's disappearance on May 3. Amarel was removed from his post on October 2 following comments he made to a Portuguese paper in which he accused the British police of only following leads and information 'created' by the McCanns.

Luis Neves, head of the DCCB, the Portuguese equivalent of the serious organised crime agency, SOCA. Credited with solving a high-profile kidnap case involving the ex-president of Sporting Lisboa football club.

Hovering in the background has been Alipio Ribeiro, Portugal's most senior police officer and the national director of the Policia Judiciaria.

The best-known face in the case is that of chief inspector Olegario Sousa who acted as police spokesman until he stood down on September 16. Officially his role was no longer required, but it has been reported he resigned over leaks by his colleagues to the Portuguese media.
Carlos Anjos, the head of the Portuguese police federation, stepped into the fray, saying that Kate and Gerry McCann "do not help the investigation" and that the McCanns were using PR as "diversion tactics".

THE PROSECUTOR
When the case was passed 'upstairs', three lawyers came into play. Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, a district attorney, who was charged with sifting through 10 boxes of evidence; Pedro Frias, a criminal instruction judge; and Luis Bilro Verao, the public prosecutor. It was Verao who announced on September 20 that no new evidence had emerged to justify further interrogation of the McCanns at this stage.