ITV’s Martin Clunes Crime Drama ‘Manhunt’ Scores International Deals

“Manhunt” has tracked down a raft of international sales, with buyers in Australia, France, and Scandinavia snapping up the U.K.-produced crime miniseries.

“Doc Martin” star Martin Clunes plays detective Colin Sutton in the thriller, which is made by Clunes’ shingle Buffalo Pictures. His character leads a team investigating the horrific murder of a young woman in suburban London in the series. Based on a real-life high-profile case, the series follows the team’s attempts to find a suspect with seemingly little evidence at hand and then the efforts to ensure the prime suspect is convicted.

The three-parter opened on ITV in the U.K. on Sunday. DRG is handling international sales and has sealed deals with Network Seven in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand. In Europe, it has been picked up by Canal Plus in Poland, France 3, NRK in Norway, NPO in the Netherlands, and YLE in Finland.

Best-of-British streaming service Acorn TV has already landed rights to the show and will run it as an original in North America and Latin America. The series was written by Ed Whitmore (“Silent Witness”) and directed by Marc Evans (“Hinterland”).

“’Manhunt’ is primetime British drama at its best. Ed Whitmore has written an incredible script, sensitively covering a difficult and contentious case, while Martin Clunes gives a standout performance, reminding us just why he remains one of Britain’s favorite actors with audiences around the world,” said Elin Thomas, DRG’s EVP of sales.

She added that the distributor is “confident that following its broadcast this weekend, with its anticipated excellent reviews and ratings, more deals will swiftly follow.”

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