ITV’s latest crime drama Joan showcases Sophie Turner in the role of real-life criminal Joan Hannington, often referred to as the “godmother” of Britain’s criminal underworld. The series brings to light the story of Hannington’s journey from an abused mother to one of the most notorious jewel thieves in 1980s London.
Throughout the show, Turner portrays the different sides of Hannington’s character as she climbs to the top of Britain’s criminal hierarchy. The show draws viewers into the fascinating life of a controversial figure who made a name for herself in the underworld.
The series Joan is based on Hannington’s memoir, I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief, which was released in 2004. It begins with Joan’s life just before she makes the decision to leave her abusive partner and place her young daughter in foster care in the early 1980s.
In the first episode, we see Turner’s character leave her sister’s house and take a job at a local jewelry shop. While working there, Joan learns the tricks of the jewelry trade. Viewers quickly discover that Joan has a unique method for stealing diamonds—she swallows them to avoid detection.
Not long after her first successful theft, Joan meets her future husband and criminal partner, Ronald Thomas Hannington, who is also known by the alias Benny Boisie, played by Frank Dillane. Joan’s encounter with Boisie marks the beginning of her life as a criminal.
Together, they live a thrilling life of crime, which Joan seems to enjoy. However, she also faces the challenge of trying to be a good mother and finding a way to get her daughter back from foster care.
Joan Hannington’s early life is a difficult one. She was born in 1957, one of six children in a working-class Irish family. She ran away from home at 13 because of abuse from her father, who was a former boxing promoter. At 17, Joan married Ray Pavey, a convicted armed robber, although the character of Ray is replaced by “Gary” in the TV series, portrayed by Nick Blood.
Joan suffered more abuse at the hands of Pavey, who once threw ammonia into her face, causing lasting damage to her eye. On another occasion, Pavey threw Joan out of a moving car. This toxic relationship eventually led Joan to place her daughter in foster care and leave Ray for good.
In an interview with The Sun, Joan described how she was determined to get her daughter back but knew she needed money and a stable place to live in order to do so. She lied her way into a job at a jewelry shop in London’s West End, where she would begin her career as a jewel thief. Although the show changes the circumstances around Joan’s first diamond theft, the core facts remain the same.
In the series, Joan stumbles upon an open safe in the shop’s back room where there were no CCTV cameras. Seizing the opportunity, she swallowed the loose diamonds to hide them, a move that would change her life. In real life, Joan swallowed diamonds worth around £800,000. After the gems passed through her system, she retrieved them, cleaned them, and stored them for sale later.
Unlike the show’s version of events, Joan didn’t quit her job at the jewelry shop immediately after her first theft. She continued working there for a few more months before she met Boisie, a high-class thief and antique dealer who was 17 years her senior. Boisie became not only her lover but also her mentor. He taught Joan how to commit various types of fraud, including check and credit card fraud.
Together, Boisie and Joan built a multimillion-dollar criminal empire. They dealt in counterfeit checks and fake antiques, and Joan’s love for diamonds and precious stones continued to grow. Joan had a particular method for stealing jewelry. Dressed in luxurious fur coats and arriving in a rented luxury car, she would visit high-end jewelry stores pretending to be a legitimate buyer.
She studied the jewelry she wanted and later returned with a fake copy. Joan would discreetly swap the fake piece for the real one, swallowing the original and leaving the fake behind. She would then make a deposit using either a stolen credit card or a forged bank check.
Thanks to their criminal activities, Boisie and Joan lived a lavish lifestyle, complete with expensive cars, fur coats, and stays in fancy hotels around the world. At one point, Joan owned 11 fur coats and over 2,000 pairs of shoes. In 1987, Joan and Boisie had a son, Benjamin Hannington. Benjamin makes an appearance in the first episode of Joan as a bartender serving drinks to Boisie and Joan.
However, Joan’s life of crime came with its own set of challenges. In 1980, at the age of 24, Joan was arrested for using a stolen checkbook and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. She had been arrested once before for stealing a car, an event that is also portrayed in the TV series. She stole the car in an attempt to visit her daughter in foster care. Despite these setbacks, Joan continued her criminal activities until tragedy struck.
In 1990, Boisie died in a freak explosion while trying to set fire to a warehouse in an insurance scam. His death left Joan vulnerable. She became a target for one of Boisie’s former associates, who put a hit out on her. Joan was also robbed of £1 million by a man she had been dating.
After these events, Joan decided to leave behind her life of crime. She had gained a reputation as “the godmother” of the British underworld, but she knew it was time to change. She now lives a quiet life on the south coast of England with her two dogs and is a grandmother to her son Benny’s daughter.
Her son, who is a rapper, performs under the name Benny Banks. Despite her past, Joan was unable to regain custody of her daughter, who remains in the care of social services.
Joan hasn’t been involved in criminal activity for over 40 years and prefers to keep a low profile. However, she worked closely with ITV on the making of Joan to ensure the series accurately reflected her life. She collaborated with screenwriter Anna Symon, who adapted the show from Joan’s memoir.
Sophie Turner, best known for her role in Game of Thrones, is well-suited to bring Joan’s complex personality to life on screen. The series captures not only the excitement of Joan’s criminal activities but also her personal struggles as a mother.
The TV series Joan stands out as a gripping crime drama. It successfully blends the thrilling elements of Joan’s criminal life with the emotional depth of her journey as a mother. The show takes viewers through the highs and lows of Joan Hannington’s life, providing a window into a world where crime, family, and survival intersect.
Joan’s story is one of resilience. She overcame an abusive childhood, escaped an abusive marriage, and transformed herself from a struggling young mother into a powerful figure in the criminal underworld. Despite the dangers of her lifestyle, Joan managed to build a successful career in crime and create a better life for herself and her children.
While Joan highlights the allure of the criminal world, it also shows the consequences that come with it. Boisie’s death was a harsh reminder for Joan that the world she had chosen was filled with danger and betrayal. Her decision to leave the criminal world behind after Boisie’s death was a turning point in her life. She chose to prioritize her safety and her family over the thrill of her illegal activities.
In the end, Joan’s story is one of survival, determination, and transformation. Her life may have been filled with danger, but she was able to rise above it and create a new path for herself. The ITV series Joan does an excellent job of portraying the many facets of her life, making it a must-watch for fans of crime dramas.
Joan offers a compelling portrayal of the complex and dangerous life of Joan Hannington, skillfully brought to the screen by Sophie Turner. The series captures Joan’s journey from a struggling, abused mother to a cunning and successful jewel thief, all while balancing her desire to provide for her daughter.
The show doesn’t just highlight her criminal exploits but also goes into her personal struggles, creating a well-rounded depiction of a woman dealing with both motherhood and the criminal world. Through her relationship with her mentor and partner, Benny Boisie, Joan rises to the top of Britain’s criminal underworld, yet she ultimately faces the harsh consequences of her choices.
The series masterfully showcases the high stakes and danger that come with a life of crime, while also underscoring Joan’s resilience and determination to survive. After tragedy strikes with Boisie’s death, Joan chooses to leave behind her criminal past, seeking peace and privacy in her later years.
Joan is a powerful reminder of the complexities of human life, where survival and ambition often collide, making it a must-watch for fans of crime dramas and stories of personal transformation.
