Who's in ITV drama Joan, about the woman who called herself Britain's most notorious jewel thief? - Sophie Turner plays the real-life Joan Hannington in the 1980s-set drama, who used her criminal skil

Joan, a new crime drama that begins airing on ITV this week, is based on real life events of a notorious jewel thief referred to as “The Godmother”.

It might not have the eye-catching title, but the new six-part drama Joan, which is inspired by the life of jewel thief Joan Hannington (played by Sophie Turner), certainly has an attention-grabbing premise.

Sophie Turner stars in the new series that tells the extraordinary story of Joan Hannington, the mother turned notorious jewellery thief who made millions swallowing diamonds. Here’s what to know

With input from her family (son Chris Wilding and granddaughter Naomi Wilding) along with Hollywood habitués Joan Collins, George Hamilton and Sharon Stone, the opening episode starts with National Velvet and Taylor’s career as a child star,

Brits travelling Stateside can watch Joan online on ITVX by using a VPN such as NordVPN. Canadians will be able to stream "Joan" in full, and for free, on CBC Gem from Friday, October 11 . It will also arrive on Anglo-centric streamer, BritBox, at a later date.

Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner was joined by real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington at the launch of ITV drama Joan in London on Thursday night