'The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe' Trailer Is a Stunning Story
THE THIEF,HIS WIFE AND THE CANOE EPISODE 1 Pictured:MONICA DOLAN as Anne Darwin and EDDIE MARSAN as John Darwin. This image is under copyright and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes in your print or online publication. This image cannot be syndicated to any other third party. For further information please contact: Patrick.smith@itv.com 07909906963
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True crime series have been one of TV's biggest genres in the last decade. The Serial podcast was ground zero for the revival of dramatizing stories about criminals that are almost too bizarre to be believed, and the cottage industry it spawned is still roaring. At this point, just about every streaming service has hopped on board, with dramas about every sort of unsolved, bizarre, or just downright horrifying crimee. BritBox has even decided to make its own subgenre, which it calls "true con" (as in con artists), and the kick-off series to this new lane of offerings, The Thief, His Wife, and the Canoe, is the sort of jaw-dropping story designed to get your attention.
For those unfamiliar with the John Darwin disappearance case, the man in question was a former British science and maths teacher who became a prison officer at HM Prison Holme House after retiring from the classroom. To try and make better money, Darwin and his wife, Anne Stephenson, rented bedsits in County Durham. Unfortunately, they didn't do so well and were deeply in debt by the early 2000s. Rather than declare bankruptcy, Darwin faked a canoeing accident so Anne could claim the insurance on him and pay the houses off.
Their ruse lasted five and a half years, which is rather remarkable when one considers that John was living next door to Anne the whole time, and even their children never figured it out. The two planned to flee to Panama to restart their lives until a neighbor became suspicious of Anne's behavior and reported her to the police, bringing the whole subterfuge down. When Darwin was cornered after the Panama government insisted he prove his identity, he tried to resurrect himself and claim amnesia, which, well, you can guess how well that went.
Here's the show's synopsis:
Eddie Marsan stars as a conman who faked his own death in this bizarre true story. When ex-teacher John took drastic action to claim life insurance money, he convinced his wife to play along & deceive everyone they knew - including their own sons.
Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road) plays John Darwin alongside Monica Dolan (W1A) as his accomplice and wife, Anne Darwin. The rest of the cast includes Mark Stanley (Anne Boleyn), Dominic Applewhite (The Crown), Carrie Cohen (Verity's Summer), Ellis Jones (The Citadel ), Alice Harding (The Investigator: A British Crime Story), David Fynn (The Pembrokeshire Murders ), Colin R. Campbell ( Unforgotten), Freddie Davies (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ), Zé Bernardino (Águila Roja ), Eddie Arnold (Ted Lasso), Lois Chimimba (The Outlaws ), Gonçalo Botelho (The Good Girls Club), Francesca Knight (The Girl Before ), Deka Walmsley (Deceit), Karl Pilkington (The Ricky Gervais Show), and Andrew Lancel (Marcella).
The Thief, His Wife, and the Canoe premiere on BritBox with all four episodes on Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022.
