The Hunt for Raoul Moat is currently airing on ITV1, and some viewers were expecting Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne to appear.
The footballer played a small – but infamous – part in the Northumbria Police manhunt of 2010.
In fact, Gazza’s involvement in the horrifying events are what some people remember first and foremost from the ordeal.
Which is why writer Kevin Sampson and producer Jake Lushingon were forced to explain why the footballer does NOT appear in the new ITV drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat.
How is Paul Gascoigne connected to the Raoul Moat manhunt?
In 2010, former bouncer Raoul Moat was released from jail and made the sick decision to shoot his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and her new boyfriend Chris Brown in Birtley, Gateshead. Moat then launched a vendetta against Northumbria Police, shooting PC David Rathband before going on the run.
Chris Brown subsequently died, and PC David Rathband was left blind. Tragically, he later took his own life.
During the UK manhunt for killer Raoul Moat, former England player Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne became convinced he was Raoul Moat’s brother. He reportedly arrived at a police stand-off in his dressing gown with chicken, lager and a fishing rod.
However, Gazza was suffering from mental health issues at the time. He later explained he had been drinking and had snorted 14 lines of cocaine.
What has footballer said about the 2010 incident?
He said in his 2015 Evening with Paul Gascoigne: “You’ve got to realise I’m half cut, sitting in the living room, I’ve got about six lines [of cocaine] lined up.
“I’m not realising much but a good line and me and Raoul Moat are sort of friends. A couple more lines and we are good buddies. A few whiskies, another few lines and we went to school together.
“He was in Rothbury, that’s where I used to go fishing so I know the area quite well. Another line and I have a couple of fishing rods and a chicken. He’s going to need a drink. I’ve had 14 lines now and he’s my brother.”
Paul Gascoigne subsequently rang for a taxi and told the driver to take him to Newcastle airport. He says he “genuinely believed” he was the “best therapist in the world” and was capable of “saving Raoul”.
Why isn’t Gazza in The Hunt for Raoul Moat?
Kevin Sampson and producer Jake Lushingon have explained why an actor was not cast to play Paul Gascoigne in The Hunt for Raoul Moat.
Speaking to ED! ahead of the series launch, Kevin said: “When we started researching and planning this, everybody who I reached out to (who was not intimately involved), would say ‘oh, yeah, the one where Gazza turned up with his fishing rods’.
“And, you know, that absolutely undermines and trivialises the tragedy of what really happened. And our one mission is to challenge people to think again, to reevaluate the way they look back on these events.
“To dramatise it would undermine the tone and the intentions of the drama. I think it’s also worth pointing out that Paul Gascoigne at that point was clearly not in a great place.”
Producer Jake added: “There was a not very successful intervention by somebody who was very, very famous. I think it was odd, in a lot of people’s minds – it was bizarre. And so it became a big story at the time. But in terms of the story, it didn’t change it at all. It wasn’t the focus.
“We have referred to it. But for us, it’s nothing really to do with the story we’re trying to tell and had no impact upon it.”
Fans ask where Gazza is while watching Raoul Moat drama
Dozens of fans tuned in to watch The Hunt for Raoul Moat expecting Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne to pop up – however he WAS appearing over on Channel 4 on Scared of the Dark.
One tweeted: “Bloody hell, The Hunt for Raoul Moat is very good, I’d forgotten what a nutter he was… Just waiting for Gazza to turn up in tomorrow’s episode….”
Another said: “Anyone else wondering who will play Gazza in the Raoul Moat thingy?”
A third added: “The whole Gazza thing is genuinely the most memorable thing about the Raoul Moat incident, and he’s not even in it. Mental.”
“Everyone basically watching the Raoul Moat thing to see who plays Gazza,” typed another.
However, others believed the scriptwriters did the right thing in leaving the incident out.
One spoke for many when he wrote: “Not sure how I feel about #RaoulMoat drama on ITV. Apparently it concentrates on telling the victims’ stories – rather than pathetic coward Moat, but I feel for the victims’ families – poor David Rathband and Christopher Brown RIP. Glad Gazza has been left out of it too.”
Read more: Wild China with Ray Mears: Star’s unusual link to killer Raoul Moat and his manhunt
The Hunt for Raoul Moat will air on ITV1 in April 2023.
What do you think of Gazza’s involvement in the Raoul Moat manhunt? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.