Colin Sutton: Man behind two of Britain's most infamous manhunts and focus of ITV drama to bring eye-opening tour to Coventry
The man who brought the serial killer Levi Bellfield to justice will shed new light on the investigation and his 30 years in the police when his nationwide tour comes to Coventry.
Colin Sutton, former Detective Chief Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, will bring his new one-man show ‘The Real Manhunter – Live’ to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Friday, March 15.
As Senior Investigating Officer for the Metropolitan Police, Colin led more than 30 successful murder investigations including two of the most infamous cases in British history, relentlessly pursuing serial killer Levi Bellfield as well as serial rapist Delroy Grant, known as the ‘Night Stalker’.
The writer and broadcaster will take audiences through his career – from cracking cold cases and chasing serial killers to writing books and making TV shows – as well as revealing unheard details from his most high-profile investigations.
Colin said: “The reception for Manhunt with ITV and now The Real Manhunter with Sky has been incredible. It feels like people want to hear about how things work and what goes into a high-profile investigation, and we definitely try to incorporate that into this new live show, for both the Bellfield and Night Stalker cases.
“It’s a chance to delve into some of the aspects that are harder to emphasise on the page and on screen. Things like highlighting how many instances of clever detective work went on, on a scale that’s hard to do justice to. The whole of Bellfield was done with no DNA evidence, so part of what I talk about is the importance of not losing ‘old-fashioned’ police skills.”
Colin, who retired in 2011, was portrayed by Martin Clunes in the BAFTA-nominated ITV drama Manhunt – based on Colin’s memoirs from his three decades in the police.
He said: “With the Bellfield case, it was such a good job from everyone involved that I felt it warranted writing about. I sat on the memoirs for a little while and was selling flowers for about 10 months when I retired, but since Ed Whitmore said we should make a show about it, it’s been a wild ride.
“The first half of this new show looks at how I got into policing, my family’s interesting connections to the Met, and how policing has changed since 1981, with what I hope are some amusing and eye-opening anecdotes.
“It’s been 43 years since I joined so a lot has moved on, and it’s a chance to address what people ask me in podcasts and events – as well as trying to be current and topical.
“The second half drills into the two cases that are the basis of my books and shows – with some things that as I’ve mentioned weren’t featured in the TV adaptations.”
The 63-year-old grew up in North London, and was at Wembley stadium when Coventry City triumphed over his beloved Tottenham Hotspur in the 1987 FA Cup final.
Colin said: “I’ve been to Coventry’s former home at Highfield Road as a Spurs season ticket holder, and was in the stands for the FA Cup final in 1987, so it will be interesting to head to Coventry all these years later when I am thinking a lot about the past – and when both clubs seem to be on the up!
“I’m hoping audiences throughout this tour will come away seeing the police service has made a monumental effort to change over the years, that there’s a human side to policing, and reflect on what was the whole motivation for writing the books – the idea that when bad things happen, there is an awful lot of skill and tenacity goes into the pursuit of justice.”
