With it's unbelievable plot, you could well be forgiven for thinking that new drama The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is a total work of fiction, but the fact is it is in fact based on a string of staggering real life events centered on John Darwin and his wife Anne.
And, for those who were unsure about whether the ITV series was a true story or unfamiliar with why 'canoe man' John embarked on the shocking scam, the channel confirmed suspicions with a telling post on social media. The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is a dramatization of the events of 20 years ago, when prison worker John paddled out to sea in a kayak, close to his home in Seaton Carew. While he was alerted as missing after he failed to turn up for work, John was in fact hidden away in a bed sit in one of his properties, with a seemingly devastated wife Anne, actually in on the wicked scheme.
After seeing teaser adverts for the four part drama, which debuted on Easter Sunday, many viewers were left with the same question: 'why would he do such a thing?' For those unfamiliar with the back story to The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe, ITV divulged a few details in teaser post for episode one. A post made on the channel's Twitter account on Sunday read: "With mountains of debt and the threat of bailiffs, there’s only one sensible solution… The shockingly true story of The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe starts tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub."
READ MORE: What happened to 'canoe man' John Darwin after prison stretch
While it wasn't public knowledge at the time of John's disappearance, it later came to light that he was on the verge of bankruptcy, having accumulated debts of around £700,000. After he was ruled dead, Anne conned insurers and pension funds out of £250,000.
While she always maintained she was coerced into the scheme by John, Anne was too sent to prison after their scamming came to light, with a jury finding. her guilty on six counts of fraud and nine of money laundering. She was handed a six and a half year sentence, but was released after two years and eight months, six months after John was let out from behind bars.
