A new programme on the real-life story of canoe couple John and Anne Darwin, who faked John's death in an attempt to gain financially, is to be shown on ITV.
The pair led their sons to believe their father had died and their mother was grieving, with the reality coming to light when John reappeared from the "dead" in 2007. The financial gain was an attempt to pay off severe debt the couple had raised but instead broke their family apart and now, in a new series from ITV, their story is to be retold.
The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe airs next month and shows the extent of John's deceitfulness and how much Anne was forced to play a part in his plan. The show also relays the suffering both sons went through and paints Anne as a sympathetic character while still highlighting the role she played in breaking their family apart.
READ MORE: Who's in The Apprentice final and when does it air?
A new twist on the story will show Anne's attempt at trying to reconnect her family despite their traumatic experience, tying in a theme of forgiveness. John - who now lives in the Philippines - has never tried to reconcile.
The show's writer, Chris Lang, wanted viewers to argue about how much blame should really be placed on Anne and how much she was used by her partner. Chris said: "Good people do bad things. Let’s try and understand, let’s try and forgive because if her sons could forgive her, I would hope that we can as well."
Eddie Marsan, playing the role of John, has said the crew debated how they ended up portraying Anne. He said: "There’s a generational interpretation of the story. The older female members of the crew felt that she should have taken more responsibility and the younger ones felt that she was a victim." Playing the role of Anne is Bafta award winner Monica Dolan.
Producers of the show hope viewers will go back and forth on who is to blame and whether or not Anne had a larger role in devious plans of her husband. Taking somewhat of the spotlight in the four part series, Lang wants the audience to decide whether ot not Anne can be forgiven, especially in the eyes if their sons.
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe airs next month on ITV.
