Here’s all you need to know about ITV’s new true crime drama The Hunt For Raoul Moat.
Released from Durham prison in July 2010, Moat went on the run after shooting three people in 24 hours. Despite Northumbria Police’s best efforts, Moat evaded them for over a week, threatening to kill police officers and members of the public.
ITV say the new series “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.”
They add: “The drama focuses on the innocent victims of Moat’s crimes – Christopher Brown, Samantha Stobbart and PC David Rathband; the police officers who put themselves in the firing line in their quest to apprehend Moat; and the local journalist who sought to tell Moat’s real story in a landscape of sensationalist reporting and social media provocation.”
Watch The Hunt For Raoul Moat on TV and online
The Hunt For Raoul Moat will start on ITV1 on Sunday, 16 April at 9PM.
The three-part series continues on Monday, 17 April and Tuesday, 18 April at 9PM.
You are also able to watch online via ITVX with all episodes available now.
The cast sees Lee Ingleby (Criminal UK, The A Word, Inspector George Gently) play Neil Adamson, a senior Northumbria Police Officer leading the race against time to apprehend Moat, Sonya Cassidy (The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Last Kingdom, Lodge 49) as local journalist Diane Barnwell and Vineeta Rishi (Vera, Collateral, Three Girls) as Nisha Roberts.
They’re joined by Sally Messham (Artemis Fowl, Doc Martin, Our Ladies) as Samantha Stobbart, Matt Stokoe (Cursed, Jamestown, Bodyguard) as Raoul Moat and Josef Davis (Young Wallander, Chernobyl, Silent Witness) as Christopher Brown.
A synopsis shares: “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.”
The Hunt for Raoul Moat will be produced by World Productions, part of ITV Studios, acclaimed producers of Anne, Line of Duty, The Pembrokeshire Murders and Vigil, in association with MultiStory Media.
The drama is written by novelist and screenwriter Kevin Sampson who was previously behind hit ITV drama Anne.
Kevin Sampson commented: “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.”
ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill added: “The Hunt for Raoul Moat shines a light on the human tragedies behind the true story of Britain’s biggest ever manhunt to apprehend a violent killer. Following on from his success with Anne earlier this year, Kevin Sampson’s scripts are once again insightful and compelling. Equally, the World Productions team are brilliant and they’ve set the bar extremely high for true crime drama.”
