ITV viewers tuned in to the final instalment of The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe on Wednesday evening, as John and Anne Darwin were brought to justice.
The drama focuses on how Anne, played by Monica Dolan, became complicit in her husband’s deception as she started to convince the world, their family and friends, the police and insurance companies, that he had gone missing in 2002 whilst canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew in Cleveland, where the couple owned two large houses with panoramic views of the sea.
The deception takes its toll on Anne who lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne. Devastated by the loss of their father, neither son had an inkling their parents were capable of such treachery.
READ MORE: The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe fans spot 'real' way John Darwin should've been caught
Wednesday's episode saw both Anne and John grilled by police officers accused with a long list of crimes. Initially, they decided to say they had only lied for a certain amount of time, and that John did in fact have amnesia.
But when Anne realised she couldn't lie any longer, she confessed the entire truth to the police. Later, John did the same.
Scenes then showed John and Anne reconciled in jail. John threw his arms around his wife and began kissing her. He told her: "I forgive you, Anne. I really do".
Viewers were "raging" at his words. Taking to Twitter, Kayleigh said: "I forgive you? I BEG YOUR PARDON?! I have no words!"
Tina said: "What a manipulative lying s***!!". Bamber said: "That's a bit bloody rich John it was your idea, you bullied Anne into the whole situation".
Minni said: "You forgive her? He's a narcissist or fantasist or both". Keira said: "He forgives her, actually raging at that".
After both went to trial, Anne was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, while John was given three months less.
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is available to watch on the ITV Hub
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