Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner leads the new ITV crime drama Joan, which covers the life of UK’s most notorious jewel thief.
Joan Hannington became a part of the criminal world in the 1980s when she began to steal diamonds for the thrills and to raise money to get her daughter Kelly – real name Debbie – out of foster care. The series recreates the events of why Hannington lost her child, her first theft of impulsively swallowing jewels and her life of crime.
Written by Anna Symon, the series will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX and offers viewers a peek into the gritty reality of 1980s London and the true tale of Joan Harrington. Here’s who you can expect to see in the new drama, how you can tune in, and what to anticipate over the course of the series.
The new ITV series, set to air on Sunday, September 27, will see viewers wonder what happened to the real Joan Hannington.
Who is Joan Hannington?
Boisie and Joan Hannington as seen in ITV’s new crime drama Joan (Image: ITV)
Once dubbed ‘the Godmother’, Joan Hannington was one of the most notorious figures in London’s criminal underworld.
Born in Acton, Joan Hannington was the youngest of six children to Irish parents Richard and Josephine O’Leary. She recalled how she lived a life of poverty and abuse at the hands of her violent father.
His torture, which included nearly drowning her and her siblings in the bath, saw her leave home at 13 years old. Aged 17, she later married convicted armed robber Ray Pavey in 1974.
This unhappy marriage saw her lose her daughter Debbie to foster care and Joan was determined to win back her daughter – but she also took on a life of crime.
Her memoir I Am What I Am in 2002 revealed Joan would swallow diamonds and then sterilise them in gin.
Joan estimated that her first diamond haul was worth around £10,000 and at the peak of her thieving, she had more than £800K worth of gems buried in a biscuit tin in her garden.
She would go on to marry an antiques expert and a member of the criminal elite Boisie (played by Frank Dillane in the ITV drama)
The pair became rich and one of Britain’s most successful diamond thieves. Joan lived a life of glamour and luxury with daily visits to the hairdresser and owned fast cars, had a wardrobe was stuffed full of furs and designer clothes.
Joan Hannington was married to Boisie Hannington for 11 years before he died trying to burn a house down to claim insurance money.
Where is Joan Hannington now?
Criminal and jewel thief Joan Hannington (Image: PA)
Boisie’s death caused Joan to rethink her criminal career and she sold her husband’s antiques shop and moved to Islington in north London. She began a business renovating old council houses and kept on the straight and narrow.
Joan Hannington first shared her story in her memoir I Am What I Am in the early 2000s and quickly became a best-selling book.
Joan currently has two children, and a granddaughter and she lives on the South Coast with her two dogs.
Hannington was approached by ITV to adapt her book with writer Anna Symon who created the six-part series. Hannington assisted in the show to ensure writers and actors got every detail correct.
She even formed a close friendship with actress Sophie Turner and she raved about her portrayal. Hannington told a press conference: “I think she’s great, and I think everybody here knows me well enough [to know] that if I didn’t like it I’d say so.”
While she is happy with the show, Hannington also expressed how strange it feels to have her life in the spotlight again with a new drama as she added: “To be sitting here at 68 with my son and my granddaughter, talking about me, I still find it a bit… I’m not a showbiz person, I’m a very private person and I just find it amazing.”