ITV is making a true crime drama about Raoul Moat, the fugitive at the centre of a major police manhunt in Northumbria back in 2010.
Produced by World Productions – which brought us popular dramas including Line of Duty and Vigil – The Hunt For Raoul Moat ‘shines a light on the human tragedies that lay behind Britain’s biggest manhunt’, told through the eyes of ‘those who sought to bring a violent killer to justice’.
After being released from Durham Prison in July 2010, Moat shot and wounded ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner Chris Brown. He also injured police officer David Rathband before eventually killing himself after a tense stand-off with Northumbria Police.
Rathband, who was blinded in the incident, later died by suicide.
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The new drama, which has started filming, focuses on the innocent victims of Moat’s crimes, along with the police officers who put themselves in the firing line to catch him and the local journalist who sought to tell the story.
A synopsis from ITV says: “The Hunt for Raoul Moat begins with Moat’s ex-partner Samantha piecing her life back together following Moat’s imprisonment for an assault. He is then released from HMP Durham after serving a four-month sentence. Sam has a new boyfriend, Chris, and she is terrified of Moat’s return.
“Despite making serious threats against Sam from inside prison, the former Newcastle doorman is hellbent on rekindling their relationship. When he realises that isn’t going to happen, Moat equips himself with a shotgun to confront Sam and her new partner.”
Moat evaded police for more than a week, threatening to kill officers and members of the public. During that period, he became a bizarre ‘anti-hero’, seen by some people as a persecuted victim fighting back against authorities, despite the fact he was a killer armed with guns and explosives.
The new drama is written by novelist and screenwriter Kevin Sampson, who said: “The hunt for Raoul Moat gripped me from the start, as it was the first such case to be covered ‘live’ by the new 24-hour news channels in the UK. Even then, it interested me that Moat was being portrayed by some as a ‘legend’ in spite of the brutality of his crimes.
"In 2022, violence against women remains rife and is all too often accompanied by a victim-blaming agenda. I hope this drama will go some way to condemning this narrative.”
Simon Heath and Jake Lushington, commenting on behalf of World Productions, added: “Kevin has written a compelling and unflinching account of these shocking events which highlights the human tragedy behind the lurid headlines. The drama is a timely reminder of how social media and fake news can create a dangerous myth, in this case that Raoul Moat was any kind of hero.”
Topics: TV and Film, True Crime
Jess Hardiman