Joan

Once dubbed “The Godmother” of the criminal underworld, jewel thief Joan Hannington lived a life of glamour and luxury as she ascended to new heights in the 1980s. A single mother who suffered in an abusive marriage, Joan built herself a new life thanks to her diamond and jewellery thefts. Now her true story, as told in her 2002 autobiography, I Am What I Am, has been brought to life in the form of this Sophie Turner-led drama.

Joan (Turner), is a driven, fierce and uncompromising woman, devoted to her six-year-old daughter Kelly. When her violent criminal husband Gary (Nick Blood) goes on the run, Joan seizes the opportunity to build a new life for herself and her daughter. Leaving Kelly in foster care for her own safety, Joan discovers she has a taste and a skill for thievery, adopting new identities and appearances to rob some of the wealthiest in society. Driven by the desire to find a home for her family, she befriends Boise (Frank Dillane), an antiques dealer and fellow criminal, with whom her greasy climb to the top begins.

After an opening scene that shows Joan at the pinnacle of her career, the timeline jumps back four months prior where we get to see her humble beginnings. Writers Anna Symon and Helen Black have expressed their desire to let Joan’s story be told accurately in her words, so there is a significant emphasis placed on world-building and relationship-building between the mother and her daughter. This is a clever mechanism, as Joan’s desire to commit crimes is only spawned out of the love for her daughter, a feeling that crucially lingers over the series like a shadow. She isn’t a malicious and evil woman, just a mother who is willing to do anything at any cost, to build a safe home for her child.

Turner has a blast as the chameleonic lead, embracing the task of depicting an array of different personalities and knocking it out the park. From limping through fields in the pouring rain to adorning herself in the most incredible furs, she convincedly proves she is just as crafty and transformative as the real Joan.

The series heavily lends itself to its 1980s environment. Set in a time when flaunting wealth came in the form of outrageous outfits and lavish lifestyles, the series is a platter of visual delights and there is a very welcome 80s soundtrack that rings throughout. On the whole, Joan is fun and very well made, but the serviceable script delivers only just about enough to keep you coming back for more. Turner’s performance helps you see through the grey areas of the story, but the sense of life-threatening danger that is injected into the first episode is diffused as the series progresses, leaving you urging for a little more peril.

Guy Lambert

Joan is released on ITVX on 29^th September 2024.

Watch the trailer for Joan here: