It's so fun to play the fine line between love and hate

Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker star as friends planning the heist of a lifetime in thriller Frauds. By YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI

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SURANNE Jones and Jodie Whit-taker have known each other for years, so when Gentleman Jack star Suranne co-created a new series with her Maryland partner Anne-Marie O'Connor, she knew exactly who to call on to costar.

The pair are two of the biggest female stars on British TV at the moment, so there's no wonder ITV couldn't wait to get involved too.

The duo play Bert and Sam, Spain-based lifelong friends and criminals who have been separated for 10 years by Bert's spell behind bars. Now she's about to be released early due to the fact she has cancer, but she also wants to carry out one last heist with her partner-in-crime even though they haven't seen each other for a decade.

"Frauds is essentially a heist show that centres on toxic female friendship," explains former Coronation Street favourite Suranne, 47, who recently played the British prime minister in Netflix drama Hostage.

"It is an emotional heist as well as a physical heist, featuring a bunch of outlaws who are all running from something. Together they're trying to pull off stealing a painting from (Madrid's) Reina Sofia Gallery,"

Broadchurch star Jodie, 43, says: "Sam and Bert have known each other throughout their entire lives essentially. They met in their late teens and they'd been living in southern Spain, leading a life of crime and having a right laugh. But that was then.

"Now we meet Bert and Sam on the first day of Bert's release from a 10-year prison stretch which was the result of a job they've done that went wrong. In those 10 years Sam hasn't visited and now Bert's out early on compassionate leave because she has cancer."