The Hunt for Raoul Moat: People 'don't know' what happened says team behind ITV drama

The producer behind ITV drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat has said he thinks people will know "relatively little" about the notorious incident.

Moat made headlines in 2010 after shooting three people within 24 hours before going on the run, sparking a huge manhunt which ended in Rothbury, Northumberland.

Writer Kevin Sampson said he wanted to tell the story from the perspective of the victims.

Chris Brown was shot and killed by Moat, while his girlfriend Samantha Stobbart was left for dead. Moat also shot PC David Rathband in the face, leaving him blinded.

Executive producer, Jake Lushington, said he hoped the drama would "do service to the victims".

He said: “It’s easy sometimes to say, ‘We want to tell the story of the victims.’ In this case there was a real sense that people really didn’t know the story of the victims. Or even why Moat killed who he did.

"Everything had been framed by the manhunt itself and this impression constructed of a half demonic, half anti-hero figure.

“The crimes at the centre of this story and the motive behind that were not that well known by most people. I think the audience will know relatively little about that while thinking they know a lot about this story.

"I don’t think I’ve ever worked on something which is so well acknowledged in the public consciousness but is actually so little known about.

“With the story of Moat most people go straight to the river bank. The stand off is so well known that what went before was mostly forgotten. That really struck us.

"I hope this drama does service to the victims and their stories while also describing what the motives and events really were in a proper way.”

He added the drama was "a huge antidote" to the "dangerous cult of personality" which has surrounded Moat.

He added: “Some people say it’s too soon to tell this story. Again, that’s a very subjective point of view.

"For some people, something that happened in 1960 is too soon. Who’s the arbiter of that? In this case, there are some dodgy ‘folklore’ perceptions about these events. I think 13 years is enough time to have some distance from it. Although obviously not for the people affected by it. We can’t avoid that.

“But if you left it for far too long a time you are allowing that false understanding of the story to continue. An almost cartoon public perception of what took place. So I think this drama has value in highlighting the true facts of what happened and the impact on those involved. We think it’s not too soon. A decent amount of time has passed but it’s not been so long that people have completely forgotten it."

Lee Ingleby, who plays Detective Chief Supt Neil Adamson, said: “Most people think they know what happened in this story. But they don’t. This drama shows you what actually happened.

"We see the news reports and then the image of Moat on a river bank with a shotgun to his temple. But we don’t see what led to that moment, who he affected, who he killed, who he ruined. That’s why it’s important to tell this story.”

Durham-born actor Matt Stokoe, who will play Moat, said he was not the lead character in the drama.

"Nor should he be" he added. "One of the purposes of this drama is to bring the victims to the forefront. They were highlighted at the time of these events in 2010 but in a very fleeting way."

The Hunt for Raoul Moat will air on ITV and starts on Sunday 16 April. The three-part drama continues on 17 and 18 April.

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