Bizarre story of Gazza turning up to see Raoul Moat that ITV drama won't show you
There's an incredibly bizarre story of Gazza turning up to see Raoul Moat that the brand-new ITV drama won't show you.
ITV has just released a new three-part new series, which premiered last Sunday (16 April) titled The Hunt For Raoul Moat, which 'shines a light on the human tragedies that lay behind Britain’s biggest manhunt'.
The crime-drama recounts the massive manhunt for Raoul Moat which ended up involving a beyond bizarre intervention from the footballing legend.
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It documents the story of Moat, who went on the run after shooting three people in a matter of 24 hours back in 2010.
After being released from prison, Moat shot ex-partner Samantha Stobbart, injuring her and killing her new boyfriend, Christopher Brown.
Moat also shot and blinded PC David Rathband, who was sitting in his police car at the time. Rathband later went on to take his own life as a result of his trauma.
Told through the eyes of those who sought to bring a violent killer to justice, the show focuses on innocent victims of Moat’s crimes, the police officers who apprehended him and a local journalist who sought to tell the killer's story.
But there's one part of the story that will not feature in the show.
On the evening of July 9, 2010, police officers surrounded the former bouncer and bodybuilder as he held a sawn-off shotgun to his head.
However, during the stand-off, there was an avalanche of buzz all about former England footballer, Paul Gascoigne, who was reported to have arrived at the scene carrying two very unlikely items.
It was alleged that Gazza rocked up area with a KFC bucket and a fishing rod of all things.
But did this strange turn of events actually happen?
Well, Gazza did in fact turn up in a bid to get Moat to surrender to the authorities after claiming that he knew him.
At the time, The Guardian reported that Gazza told Real Radio NorthEast he had brought Moat a 'can of lager, some chicken, a mobile phone and something to keep warm'.
The footballer continued: "He is willing to give in now. I just want to give him some therapy and say 'come on Moaty, it’s Gazza'. He is all right – simple as that – and I am willing to help him."
Gascoigne added that he had 'come all the way from Newcastle to Rothbury' to find his friend and 'have a chat with him'.
"I guarantee, Moaty, he won’t shoot me," he revealed, "I am good friends with him."
Years after the incident, Gazza revealed a little more about that fateful day.
He remembered: "I’ve got my fishing rods, I’ve got my Barbour jacket, I’ve got my four cans, I’ve got my chicken. My chicken is important because he [Moat] must be starving," as per the Daily Star.
Upon arriving to the scene, Gazza was instructed by a police officer to go home.
"He said 'just go home'," he said, "I was devastated because my chicken was getting cold."
But upon waking up the next morning, he was left totally baffled by what had happened.
He continued: "You know in the morning when you panic the first thing you do is look at your mobile?
"I’ve got 250 missed calls, I was like – what have I done? I’ve got a chicken by my side, fishing rods, a Barbour, I’m like f**k me I must have done something."
The show's executive producer, Jake Lushington, explained why Gazza is largely absent from the adaptation in a press conference ahead of its launch.
Lushington explained: "For us, the story is Raoul Moat's crimes and the efforts to bring him to justice.
"The surprise brief and not very successful intervention from someone famous (Gazza) became a big story at the time but it didn't change the events at all. We've referred to it, but it's got nothing to do with the story we're trying to tell.
"We haven't minimised the impact of Gazza turning up because it didn't have one."
Rhiannon Ingle