ITV have confirmed their new drama will be about bringing Raoul Moat, fugitive at the centre of a huge police manhunt in 2010, to justice.
The Hunt For Raoul Moat will focus on the human tragedies behind Britain’s biggest manhunt, told through the eyes of those who sought to catch him.
Moat had gone on a two-day shooting spree in Northumbria in July 2010, wounding his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killing her new partner Chris Brown.
He also shot police officer David Rathband in the face, leaving him in hospital for three weeks and permanently blind, before he took his own life in 2012.
Moat went on the run for almost a week, with the manhunt coming to an end when the 37-year-old died by suicide after a six-hour stand-off with armed police.
The upcoming ITV drama will focus on the victims and the police officers who put themselves in the firing line to catch the killer, and the local journalist who sought to tell Moat’s real story amidst the sensationalist reporting.
Lee Ingleby will play Neil Adamson, a senior Northumbria Police Officer leading the manhunt, Sonya Cassidy will take on the role of local journalist Diane Barnwell, Vineeta Rishi as Nisha Roberts, Sally Messham as Samantha Stobbart and Matt Stokoe will play Raoul Moat.
The drama will begin with Stobbart starting a new life after Moat’s imprisonment, and his turn to violence after realising there is no hope of rekindling the relationship following his release from HMP Durham after four months inside.
The 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.’
The Hunt For Raoul Moat will air on ITV with the release date to be confirmed.
