Did Anyone Watch The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe Last Night?

[ladybirder]

If so what did you think? I thought it was excellent and remember it happening.

Never knew Harrogate was by the sea though and I used to live close by;-)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10727349/CHRISTOPHER-STEVENS-reviews-weekends-TV-canoeist-faked-death-short-paddle.html

[JimF]

He had the "new" wife long before...

[Stargazer]

I agree that the police investigation was shockingly inept. The financial situation of this couple spoke volumes and should have led to their making much more in-depth investigations.

[windywillow]

It will be interesting to watch the documentary tonight, to see how accurate that tv drama was.

[New Judge]

Or how accurate the documentary is.

[pat2604]

Yes it was a documentary drama and advertised as such. It was well researched. I remember it all happening. Real life can be much stranger than fiction. I have known a few women like her in my time. Totally manipulated plain women who would do anything for their husband for fear of upsetting things. Like Ann they married the first man who showed any interest in them. I really can't understand why she got a longer sentence than him, just for keeping up the pretence to her sons that he was dead! Surely he did the same?

[burlyshirley]

I too was stunned pat, when she got a longer sentence than him.

[ladybirder]

That was because she actually did the frauds, the paperwork etc, not him, clever eh?

[joggerjayne]

I enjoyed it.
For some reason, I thought it was set in Hartlepool.

[Stargazer]

Ever since I watched a programme called Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell I have thought Eddie Marsan to be particularly unattractive and in all his subsequent roles. Sorry to those of you who disagree!

[ladybirder]

He's not attractive, he knows he's not attractive. However his acting is brilliant and he has won awards for that and quite right too.

[Bert45]

ladybirder, Harrogate is not by the sea. The couple lived in Seaton Carew, which *is* by the sea. There have been complaints about their accents, saying they don't have Harrogate/Seaton Carew accents. But Darwin was born in Sunderland and she grew up in Blackhall Colliery, a former pit village near Hartlepool. According to the drama, they couldn't tell their children of their plan because, if they were found out, the children would be guilty of conspiracy, assuming they didn't go straight to the police. He pleaded guilty and therefore his sentence was reduced from what it might have been had he pleaded not guilty. She pleaded not guilty on the grounds of coercion, but was found guilty and therefore received the full sentence that the judge thought appropriate. I believe that a guilty plea can reduce a sentence by one third, so his sentence would have been about about 9 years 5 months. He was also charged with a passport offence, but if he had been sentenced separately for this, it would no doubt have been served concurrently, as they almost always are. So she actually received a shorter sentence than he would have received, but it was longer because he had credit for his guilty plea. There was a BBC version of the story the day before the ITV version started. It starred Bernard Hill (Gizza job!) and was made in 2010. A big difference was that in Hill's version, he smashed down the wall between the houses with a sledge-hammer, whereas in Marsan's version there was a ready-made door between the properties.

[burlyshirley]

I wish I'd known that 2010 version was on. I've never seen it and I would have liked to watch it.

[jno]

it's on iPlayer for 25 days, shirley, search for Canoe Man

[ladybirder]

I know Harrogate is not by the sea Bert, I know it well, I used to live very near there. Did you not notice the ;-) after my comment.

[New Judge]

Why is Harrogate mentioned in this thread?

Seaton Carew (where the events took place)is a couple of miles south of Hartlepool, and about sixty miles from Harrogate.

[ladybirder]

NJ I mentioned it because Christopher Stevens' review shown in my OP said he disappeared into the sea off Harrogate when I guess he meant Hartlepool.
I see it has now been corrected.

[ladybirder]

jno Thanks, I'm watching Canoe Man now. I like this one better

[burlyshirley]

Oh thanks jno, I'll give it a look.

[Bert45]

No, I didn't notice the ;-), ladybirder, but it was obvious that you knew that Harrogate was not by the sea. I did not read the review in your link, so I did not realise why you mentioned Harrogate. I thought it was something to do with the accents being Geordie, not Yorkshire.