THE new ITV gritty drama about the bizarre real-life case of “canoe man” John Darwin is set to air this weekend – here’s exactly when and what you can expect from the long-anticipated show.
The four-part ITV drama named The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe will tell the story of how Mr Darwin faked his own death as part of an insurance scam.
The show stars Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan and John and Anne Darwin.
When will the show air?
The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe will air this Easter Sunday at 9pm on ITV.
You can watch a first look of the series on the ITV website right now.
What’s the show about?
The Darwins’ jaw-dropping deception tricked insurers, police and even their two sons into believing the ex-prison officer had died in a North Sea accident in 2002.
The couple started a new life in Panama but the tale unravelled when John came back from the dead in 2007, claiming to have suffered amnesia.
They were jailed for the fraud and the extent of the parents’ deception shocked the world.
The drama was written by Unforgotten’s Chris Lang, and was produced by Story Films.
It is based on an unpublished manuscript written by journalist David Leigh, who was the first reporter to find Ms Darwin as she was starting her new life in Panama.
They are joined in the cast by White House Farm actor Mark Stanley and Derek’s Karl Pilkington.
The script, at times funny, gives Anne a sympathetic hearing without shying away from the incredible hurt she inflicted on her loved ones.
The sons, Anthony and Mark, are shown supporting their supposedly widowed mother for years, throwing wreaths into the North Sea in front of Anne’s home where their father was hiding next door.
The actors who are set to bring "canoe man" John Darwin and his wife Anne to life for the small screen only spoke to each other in Hartlepool accents during filming, they revealed.
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