The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe ITV air date confirmed

The four-part drama is set to tell the real-life story of the Darwins, a Hartlepool couple named Anne and John who faked John's death during a supposed canoe accident in 2002, in order to claim insurance money.

The couple even kept the scheme from their children, and when John was later discovered alive and well, the couple were sentenced to more than six years in prison for fraud. They both ended up serving just under three years.

Monica Dolan recently told RadioTimes.com and other press that the series will divide viewers as to how they feel about the couple, particularly Anne.

She said: "Whenever you see a play that's really about forgiveness, I think it's something that very much divides people, so I hope that there's an effect in that regard."

Neither the real-life couple nor any of their children wanted to be involved in the series, but executive producer David Nath previously revealed that one of the couple's sons was secretly there on their first day of filming.

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe begins on Sunday 17th April at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub. You can also get a 30-day free trial of ITV Hub+ on Amazon Prime Video here.

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