Canoe Man

John Darwin hatches an elaborate plan, to set off on his canoe, never to return, home that is, and for his wife Anne to claim the insurance.

Made for BBC4 back in 2010, it's a fascinating story, sadly it's a relatively dull production, the fact that it wasn't put out on BBC1 or BBC2 is quite telling, it's a fairly low budget affair, it doesn't look particularly good, and it's a little lacking.

Bernard Hill stars as John, Saskia Reeves played Anne, two very capable actors, both generally so good, so reliable, but I found the pair quite flat here, I'm not sure it was their fault, they each just battled a bland script.

If you want to see the best version of this incredible story, check out The Thief, his Wife and The Canoe, starring Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan, it's infinitely superior.

Worth a look, I'm just staggered as to how they managed to make such a fascinatingly dull drama from such a rich plot.

5/10.