Canoe saga.. now we’re all left in the dark
Viewers gripe about gloomy lighting
VIEWERS have told ITV: Let there be light (entertainment), complaining about “dark and dingy” scenes on The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.
The drama about John Darwin, who faked his own death in a kayak accident to claim life insurance in 2002, left viewers squinting at their tellies.
One viewer said their TV looked “pitch black”, posting: “I literally can’t see The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.”
Another fumed: “Why is it so dark! I feel like I should adjust my TV, it’s very distracting.”
The drama was filmed on location in Seaton Carew, Co Durham, where John Darwin and his wife Anne lived.
One viewer said ITV’s representation “isn’t what the North East looks like”, adding: “They’ve made it look dark and dingy.”
They posted an idyllic beach scene, saying: “This is what Seaton Carew actually looks like.”
Others said ITV made the resort look “bleak”, one person posting: “Never been to the North East, but ITV are determined to make it into some grey dark dingy s*** hole resembling the USSR.” Eddie Marsan, 53, who plays John, and Monica Dolan, 53, as Anne, have been praised for their performances in the series, which tells how the Darwins claimed £500,000 insurance and lied to their sons that John was dead. They then moved to Panama, but John returned to the UK in 2007, telling police he had amnesia. The Mirror broke the story, publishing a photo of John and Anne at a Panama estate agent in 2006, when John was presumed dead. The couple were jailed for six years. The series was inspired by a book by exMirror reporter David Leigh.