‘Manhunt’s Martin Clunes Spills on Playing Real-Life Detective Colin Sutton
Q&A
Serial killer dramas aren’t usually Martin Clunes’s cup of tea. But the Brit, beloved as grumpy physician Martin Ellingham on Doc Martin, couldn’t resist playing this hero: London detective Colin Sutton, whose sleuthing helped solve a string of murders in 2004.
Clunes clues us in on this true-mystery-retold that earned ITV’s highest ratings in six years when it premiered in the U.K. in January.
How does Manhunt differ from other detective series?
Martin Clunes: It shows how these crimes are solved by large numbers of focused people doing painstaking work. [Sutton and his team] didn’t have any DNA evidence!
What’s the real Sutton like?
He’s so honest and decent. He was tickled pink when he came on set and saw the [command center], because production designers re-created it so brilliantly.
On a personal note, you were named to the Order of the British Empire in 2015.
That means my daughter can wed in Westminster! I haven’t worn my medal since the Queen pinned it on me.
Doc Martin returns this fall for Season 9. Are you getting tired of the grouch?
No, no. He’s been good to me. And people are still obsessed with the show. Somebody wrote a letter asking, “Why did you have a new kitchen door in Season 5?”
Manhunt, Miniseries Premiere, Monday, March 11, Acorn TV
