The con ISON!

JODIE WHITTAKER and SURANNE JONES on joining forces to pull off an ambitious heist

- SEAN MARLAND

Jodie Whittaker and Suranne Jones are two of our most celebrated actors, with many of the biggest dramas of the past 20 years featuring on their glittering CVs. But their paths have never crossed on screen, until now...

ITV1's sun-soaked new crime caper Frauds sees Jodie (Broadchurch, Doctor Who, One Night) and Suranne (Doctor Foster, Vigil, Hostage) team up to play Sam and Bert respectively, professional con artists trying to pull off the art heist of the century.

Co-created by Suranne and her screenwriter friend Anne-Marie O'Connor following their collaboration on 2023 ITVX drama Maryland, the six-part series opens with Bert being released from a Spanish prison after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Determined to fulfil a burning ambition to carry out an epic last job, Bert begs her old pal Sam to return to a life of crime to help her steal a priceless painting by Salvador Dalí from Madrid's Reina Sofía Museum. But as the plot unfolds, will a power struggle between the pair derail their plans?

Here Suranne, 47, and Jodie, 43, talk TV Times through the project...

We still can’t believe this is the first time you’ve worked together!

JODIE Usually there is only one part like Sam or Bert in a show and Suranne always gets it!

SURANNE Or you do! We both go up for the same parts.

JODIE But seriously, there aren't many shows that put the dynamic between two women at the forefront. Female characters are often struggling to make ends meet or trying to protect something, but these two do what they want.