When is The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe on ITV?
13 April 2022, 15:38
Watch the ITV trailer for The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe release date: When is the new ITV drama and what's it about?
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
New ITV series, The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is set to premier this weekend, based on shock real-life events.
The four-part drama tells the story of John and Anne Darwin who tried to pull off a huge insurance scam in 2002.
Former prison officer John faked his own death after going out for a paddle in his canoe, with wife Anne left to convince the police he had died.
But when is The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe on ITV? Here’s what we know…
- The unbelievable true story behind new ITV drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe
- Listen now on Global Player: Never Have I Ever with Joel Dommett & Hannah Cooper
When is The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe on ITV?
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe starts on ITV on Bank Holiday Sunday, April 17.
It is on at 9pm, with the three remaining episodes airing at the same time on the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
What is The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe about?
Written by Chris Lang, The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is a dramatised version of the events which took place back in 2002.
After John (played by Eddie Marsan) fakes his own death on a canoe, his wife Anne (played by Monica Dolan) then reports him missing and he was declared dead.
But in reality, John was actually living next door to their family home in a bedsit, with an adjoining door allowing him to slip in and out.
The elaborate plan allowed them to claim on John’s life insurance and clear their £700,000 debt.
They planned to use the rest of the money to start a new life in Panama, but this plan soon fell apart and John had a new plan to pretend he had amnesia.
In 2007, John entered a police station and told officers: "I think I'm a missing person".
The Darwin family were reunited and John and Anne’s sons were delighted to see their dad again.
But when a photo from the relocation agency in Panama resurfaced with a timestamp, John and Anne were charged with fraud.
During the court case, the pair were found guilty of obtaining cash by deception and both were sent to prison in 2008.
While John received six years behind bars, Anne received the longer sentence of six and a half years as she pleaded not guilty.
