‘Quietly thrilling’: Martin Clunes’ forgotten detective drama inspired by a real life case is now on ITVX

Some of the most emotional and gripping thrillers we've watched in the last few years have been based on real life crimes. From I Fought The Law, to Until I Kill You to the recent series Believe Me, these dramas based on real life events have the power to remind us of what really happened to the victims and the work of the justice system to hold their perpetrators to account.

And one seriously moving crime drama you may not have seen but should most definitely be on your must-watch list is Manhunt, starring Martin Clunes. This is everything you need to know about it.

What is Manhunt about?

Manhunt originally aired in 2019 and focussed on telling a dramatised version of the true story of the murder of Amélie Delagrange, a French woman who was living and studying in London at the time of her death. She was murdered by serial killer Levi Bellfield, who was also found guilty for the murder of Marsha McDonnell, and the hunt for Bellfield is the focus of the three-part drama.

The series stars Martin Clunes as Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton, who is based on a real detective of the same name, and his memoir, which includes his work on Amélie's case.

When the series debuted The Telegraph called it "quietly thrilling" and said Clunes performance was a "revelation". Meanwhile The Observer said the series was a "mesmerising tale."

The show went onto have a second season in 2021 and its plot was also based on a real life story, the search for the 'Night Stalker'.