New ITV show Joan is based on is based on the true story of Joan Hannington: a former British jewel thief
Sunday: Joan (ITV1, 9pm)
It might not have the eye-catching title, but the new six-part drama Joan, which is inspired by the life of jewel thief Joan Hannington (played by Sophie Turner), certainly has an attention-grabbing premise.
Or as executive producer Ruth Kenley-Letts puts it: “It’s an easy pitch really, isn’t it? Successful diamond thief in the 1980s has to put her daughter into care to escape gangsters. Can she get her back?”
If anything, that might leave you wondering why no one has tried to bring Joan’s story to the screen before. It turns out they have.
Another of the show’s executive producers, Richard Laxton, says: “When I first read Joan’s book, I thought, “This is gold dust.” In fact, it turned out a couple of people had already tried to buy the option to her book.”
Like him, they were probably drawn to the character of Joan herself – she may be a jewel thief with a nice line in 1980s fashions, but her story is also surprising relatable.
He says: “Joan had a terrible start in life, and you never shake off the ramifications of that unless you’re lucky enough to be able to afford to do the work to unpick it all and recover.
“Joan’s visceral connection with her child and her desire to give her the childhood that she never had is incredible and is already a viscerally compelling story. She went through such struggle and pain and desperation – it is just a hugely moving and compelling story.”
So of course, the producers needed the right actress to bring Joan’s story to the screen, and they found her in Game of Thrones star Sophie.
She’s certainly enjoyed playing such a meaty role, saying: “Joan had an obscene appetite for adventure and doing new things. I was drawn as well to the way she could compartmentalise her life between doing everything she could for her daughter, but then also committing these wild and exciting crimes.
“It’s the most exciting thing to be able to play a woman who has this unabashed confidence, and yet underneath so much pain and so much trauma. That gave me so much to work with. It’s a really special role.”
The story begins tonight in 1985, when Joan is seemingly trapped in a relationship criminal Gary Darvil (Nick Blood). When he brings danger to her door, she takes drastic action to keep her six-year-old daughter safe and attempts to build a new life for herself.
As she tries to get back on her feet, Joan gets a job at a jeweller’s, but when the boss turns out to be creep, she walks out, taking a few diamonds with her.
While celebrating, Joan meets Boisie Hannington (Frank Dillane), an antiques dealer and professional thief, who offers her a very different kind of job… Could this be the start of a beautiful business partnership, or is Joan about to land herself in even more trouble?
The second episode can be seen on Monday.