'Joan' Writer Anna Symon Takes Us Inside the ITV & CW Drama

"Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" takes on new meaning in the upcoming ITV and CW drama Joan. Sophie Turner stars in the co-production that will begin airing on CW in October 2024, starring as Joan Hannington, a 1980s-ra mother-turned-jewel thief. The series starts when Joan is in her 20s, attempting to care for her six-year-old daughter and survive an abusive marriage with a violent criminal. When her husband disappears, Joan turns to a life of crime to carve out the best life for herself and her daughter. 

The series is based on the memoir of the real Joan Hannington, I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain's Most Notorious Jewel Thief. Hannington was known as "The Godmother" of the London underground crime scene during the 1980s before turning her life around. The real Hannington never served prison time for her jewel thieving, though she does have a few misdemeanors on her record. 

Joan will illustrate how Hannington found her way into a life of crime and how quickly she adapted to conning jewelry store owners and England's upper crust to live a life of luxury. However, the story isn't for the faint of heart. Joan will also explore Hannington's years of abuse and how that led her into a life of crime. 

Telly Visions spoke with executive producer and Joan screenwriter Anna Symon about adapting Hannington's story and how the series will show viewers a side of Turner we've not seen before. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Telly Visions: How did you first hear about Joan's story?

Anna Symon: She originally wrote the book in the early '90s. Quite a few American production companies and people in Hollywood auctioned the book, but it never got made. A British production company much later started tracking it, and they then brought it to me as an idea to have something to write. I was absolutely gripped by the story. That was kind of how it came about. Then I met the real Joan Hannington and talked to her, and off we went.

TV: What surprised you most about meeting the real Joan? 

AS: When I first read her book, I knew she had a compelling mix of vulnerability and strength. I think that was even more clear when I met her. She'd had a terrible childhood and was being put in care herself. Her dad was very violent to her, so I knew there'd be stuff like that that was kind of swirling around. At the same time, she is this incredibly provocative, ballsy, fabulously dressed jewel thief.

Then I met her, and I forgot that all of that was quite a while ago. She's now a woman in her 60s, living a straight life. She's got two dogs. She lives by the sea in England. She wasn't exactly what I was expecting at all. Once we started talking, though, and her stories came out, I saw the fire of who she was and still is, to a certain extent. 

TV: What were the most important aspects of her story to make sure ended up in the series?

AS: When we first met, she said, 'I don't want you to tell my story on screen unless you dramatize or in some way bring out my childhood, because I think that explains some of the decisions that I made." She said that quite clearly. I would have done that anyway because I wanted people to know where this extraordinary character originated. That happens a bit later in the series. You found out more about who she was when she was younger and how she became who she became. I wanted it to feel very grounded and truthful to who she is, and not sanitize or gloss over the difficult parts of her life.

TV: What was it about Sophie Turner that made her feel like the best Joan for you?

AS: She just totally got who the character was. She is extraordinary in it. It's unlike anything we've seen her do before. She's got the dialect of a London kind of cockney London criminal down. She can also go into the upper class and the American accents when the part calls for it. She's just brilliant at portraying this combination of vulnerability and strength that I think the real Joan has. When she's away from her daughter, you can see this awful heartbreak in her eyes. When she's conning someone, you can see this whole other glamorous kind of adrenalized version of the same character. Sophie can do both so well.

TV: What do you say to people who don't know anything about who Joan Hannington is?

AS: She is a female diamond thief in a man's world. She operated in the '80s, a time of genuine aspiration and ambition. She is a criminal. She was a part of that. She wanted to dress up. She wanted lots of money. She wanted baubles on her fingers. You see a very ordinary woman at the start transform herself into a criminal who has fantastic outfits and fantastic jewels. Also, a lot of things go wrong for her. She faces heartbreak along the way.

Joan premieres Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on CW and airs/streams on a weekly schedule through mid-November. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on the CW app.