Telly fans were frustrated that iconic footballer Paul Gascoigne – aka Gazza – did not feature in the three-part ITV series.
5
5
During the real life hunt for killer Moat in 2010, Gazza turned up at the scene with several items including a fishing rod, beer and chicken.
He later admitted he had been at his most vulnerable and involved in a gruelling battle with alcohol addiction when he made the decision to find the gunman.
Telly bosses decided to leave the moment out of The Hunt For Raoul Moat, instead only mentioning Gazza’s name during a news bulletin in the drama.
But not every one was happy that it was all but glossed over.
Sharing their thoughts, one viewer tweeted: “Going in on the last episode of #TheHuntForRaoulMoat and if they omit Gazza I’m going to be so p***ed off.”
Another asked: “Where’s Gazza??!!”
And a third said: “This has been fairly harrowing to watch but slightly disappointed we didn’t get a dramatic reimagining of Gazza turning up?”
Raoul Moat’s shooting spree in July 2010 shocked the nation.
The crazed killer murdered his ex girlfriend’s partner Chris Brown and severely injured his ex Samantha Stobbart before going on the run.
He also shot on duty police officer David Rathband, blinding him. PC Rathband later took his own life.
The manhunt came to an end when Moat was tracked down close to the River Coquet. Despite a six-hour negotiation, he shot and killed himself.
While the search for him was underway, Paul Gascoigne phoned a radio station and claimed he was a friend of Moat’s and was on his way to meet him.
Gazza later admitted he had snorted 14 lines of cocaine before heading to the site where the killer was.
Speaking to The Mirror in February 2020, Paul said: “I just remember that I was in a taxi, I had a fishing rod, some chicken, four cans of lager and a fishing jacket.
“I thought that I could take Raoul Moat fishing because he was near a river.
“I told the taxi driver ‘Head for the airport’ and then when we got to Newcastle airport I said ‘Head for Rothbury’.
“The taxi driver said ‘You are not going where I think you are going?’ And I said ‘Yes I am’.”
Before The Hunt For Raoul Moat aired on ITV, criminologist David Wilson confirmed that Gascoigne would not be featuring in the programme.
He told This Morning: “Gascoigne is a noise off. Gascoigne takes our attention away from what really, really did happen.”
Confirming he would not be appearing in the ITV drama, David added: “No he’s not [in it] and I’m really pleased. I’ve seen the first episode of the drama and he’s not in the drama itself.
“It concentrates entirely on the stories of the victims and that for me is a really good thing.”
5
5
5