John Darwin drama ITV's most watched Easter Sunday programme in a decade with 8.7m viewers
An ITV drama based on the disappearance of conman John Darwin has become the most channel's most-watched Easter Sunday programme in 12 years.
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe launched on 17 April 2022 with an audience of 8.7 million viewers.
It portrayed the life of John Darwin, from Hartlepool, who faked his own death to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy alongside his wife Anne.
The previous Easter Sunday record was held by the final series of A Touch of Frost back in 2010.
Overall, the four-parter averaged 7.8 million viewers, which means it's now television's third biggest drama of the year so far, and ITV's second biggest after Trigger Point.
It also had an ITV Hub audience of 1.6 million - the Hub's fourth highest figure for a drama on record.
The drama featured Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan as John and Anne.
In a review, The Daily Express said: "Eddie Marsan is in tremendous form as Darwin, perfectly capturing the man’s desperation and self-delusion, while Monica Dolan’s touching portrayal of Anne is that of a woman who, though painfully aware of the situation she’s being dragged into, ultimately finds resistance futile.
"Turning true crimes into watchable TV dramas is a delicate balancing act, but this one strikes just the right tragi-comic note."
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