Bad news: the latest project from Suranne Jones doesn’t always feel like the real deal. Implausible details abound in this six-part heist thriller (that she produced through her company, TeamAkers). And there are weak links in the cast. Still, don’t panic, because the blissful moments outweigh the blah ones. Jones herself as Bert – a tough and sexy ex-con, who enjoys playing mind games – is on blistering form. Her co-stars, Jodie Whittaker and Elizabeth Berrington, are compelling. In a typical line of dialogue, Whittaker tells Berrington: “I always said your vagina could light up a room!” What a relief to be able to report that Frauds (taken as a whole) is a shining example of accessible, transgressive TV.
Money has clearly been spent on a story that’s set in Spain and toggles between the southern coast and Madrid. Wide-angle shots of a bullring are stunning. There’s also a lusciously lit church plus two set pieces, in episode six, that are epic in every way.
