ITV commissions new drama Manhunt II: The Night Stalker starring Martin Clunes

ITV commissions new drama Manhunt II: The Night Stalker starring Martin Clunes and produced by Buffalo Pictures

ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill today confirmed commission of a sequel to the critically acclaimed drama Manhunt, starring Martin Clunes as the former London Metropolitan Police detective, DCI Colin Sutton.

Manhunt II: The Night Stalker, a four part drama, is the real life story of the police pursuit of a notorious serial rapist, whose 17 year reign of terror left thousands of elderly people in south east London living in fear. It is based on the diaries of Colin Sutton.

Acclaimed actor Martin Clunes will again take the role of DCI Sutton, the detective portrayed in the first series of Manhunt tenaciously pursuing serial killer Levi Bellfield.

The first series of Manhunt attracted an average audience of nine million viewers, and was the highest rated new drama on any channel during 2019. The drama also won many plaudits for Martin Clunes’ portrayal of the dedicated detective.

Manhunt II The Night Stalker is written by Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness, Rillington Place, Strike Back), who also wrote the first series of Manhunt, which told the real life story of how the murder of Amelie Delagrange on Twickenham Green in 2004 was eventually linked to the murder of Marsha McDonnell in 2003 and the abduction and murder of Milly Dowler as she travelled home from school in 2002. 

Both dramas are produced by Buffalo Pictures. The executive producer is Philippa Braithwaite, the producer is Jo Willett, the co-producer is Evie Bergson-Korn, the director is Marc Evans. The stories are by Colin Sutton and Ed Whitmore, who is also an executive producer.

Commented Philippa Braithwaite:  

“We are very pleased that ITV have given us the opportunity to dramatise another important case that Colin Sutton was involved in just before his retirement from the Force.  This inquiry has a very different emphasis to the Bellfield case; the victims were elderly and the crimes were unsolved for many years.  The drama explores how Colin came late to the inquiry and helped solve it in a matter of weeks, taking an incredibly dangerous serial rapist off the streets.”

Commented Polly Hill: 

“I’m delighted that Martin Clunes will play DCI Colin Sutton once again, taking on a case that had gone unsolved for almost two decades. The team behind the first Manhunt - Ed Whitmore, Marc Evans, along with Buffalo and Philippa Braithwaite - will make sure this is another compelling and respectful dramatisation of a truly shocking crime that affected so many families.”

Filming of Manhunt II has commenced with transmission expected next year.