jodie whittaker

Frauds stars Jodie Whittaker and Suranne Jones as two confidence tricksters

A fresh ITV drama is scheduled to debut tonight (Sunday 5th October), which is certain to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Six-episode series Frauds focuses on two expert con artists named Sam and Bert, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker and Suranne Jones. Suranne also co-created the programme and worked as an executive producer.

The duo are brought back together following their separation during a gruelling ten-year prison term. Bert secures release on compassionate grounds due to a cancer diagnosis, yet she has no intention of taking it easy during her remaining weeks. Rather, she’s determined to execute one last job that will demonstrate her capabilities.

Bert and Sam quickly set out on the most daring of art robberies, assembling a crew of exceptionally talented misfits to assist them in plotting the crime.

“Whilst the team must overcome numerous challenges before they can pull off the heist, it’s the power struggle between Bert and Sam that threatens to derail their plans and destroy them both,” the synopsis concludes, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Alongside Suranne and Jodie, the programme also stars Talisa Garcia as Miss Take, Elizabeth Berrington as Jackie Diamond, and Karan Gill as Bilal Anwar.

The ensemble is rounded out by Thais Martin as Caitlin, Javier Taboada as Blas, Christian Cooke as Deegs, Lee Boardman as Craig, Kate Fleetwood as Celine, Nansi Nsue as Amaya, and Abdul Salis as Mateo.

Where was Frauds filmed?

Frauds was shot in Tenerife earlier this year, highlighting the island’s breathtaking remote terrain and glistening coastline.

Speaking at a recent press event, the show’s co-creator Anne-Marie O’Connor revealed: “The setting of Spain [felt] like a character. How arid it is, how unforgiving it is once you’re outside of the city. And as Brits, we all know Spain, we all know a version of Spain… Once you get outside of that world, you’re back in a very sort of arid landscape.”

Executive producer Katie Kelly chimed in: “We always knew that’s where it would be set, but shooting in Tenerife offered us everything we needed and more. In a small area you can have a sort of Costa del Sol beachside strip full of clubs (with everything from drag clubs to a magician’s show), and then suddenly you can find yourself in what looks like an old Spanish town or up in lush, verdant mountains.

“In developing the show we were also quite influenced by Westerns and in that part of the world you’ve also got these desert landscapes which are vast and feel epic and dry and bring a really interesting flavour and tone to the show.”

Sam’s secluded cottage was located in a quaint northern town named La Laguna.

“It was amazing, but it rained a lot. Didn’t matter – it was stunning. It is literally gonna be in my top five places in life, I loved it so much,” Jodie Whittaker shared.

“I’ve been to the south like as a kid on family holidays and never really realised how much we’re missing out by not heading up north. You know Santa Cruz is a brilliant little city too. That’s a great thing about this job – you get to live in these incredible places for a little window in your life.”

In the series, Bert decides that she wants to steal a famous painting from the Reina Sofía museum in Madrid, where filming actually took place.

“I remember Anne-Marie and I were just walking around the Reina Sofía in the middle of the night, and it was just closed for us,” lead director Giulia Gandini recalled.

She then joked: “And we were just wandering around thinking, ‘Yeah, we could really steal something right now. We could pull this off.'”

Anne-Marie added: “Also, as well, it’s that thing of like, you know, sometimes if you just ask you get. I mean, I wasn’t responsible for asking, but it was like, ‘They said yeah’. And I was like, ‘Alright then. You know we’re nicking a painting out of here, don’t you?'”

As well as making good use of Spain’s stunning landscapes, the team also cast several Spanish actors that “understood the acting and directing style” of the UK-created series.

Frauds will premiere on Sunday 5th October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Suranne Jones has opened up on her new ITV drama Frauds, which sees her star alongside Jodie Whittaker as two con women who rekindle their friendship to pull off a heist

Suranne Jones has revealed her striking makeover and confessed to feeling “anxious” about her latest ITV drama Frauds.

The forthcoming show features Suranne alongside Jodie Whittaker as a pair of female fraudsters named Bert and Sam, whose poisonous yet wickedly amusing bond is reignited to execute the ultimate robbery.

“Bert and Sam embark on the most audacious of art thefts, gathering a talented team of outcasts to help them plan this audacious crime,” the synopsis continues.

“Whilst the team must overcome numerous challenges before they can pull off the heist, it’s the power struggle between Bert and Sam that threatens to derail their plans and destroy them both.

“Set against the epic rolling hills of southern Spain and the dark criminal underbelly that casts a shadow over the glistening coast, Frauds is a complex and addictive story of friendship, deception and survival”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Frauds is scheduled to launch this Sunday (October 5) at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

The six-episode series will then broadcast on Sunday and Monday evenings across three weeks.

During a press conference for the new programme, Suranne discussed juggling her multiple responsibilities, both performing and working behind the scenes.

Beyond portraying Bert, the star also co-developed the show with Anne-Marie O’Connor and acts as executive producer. “Obviously, there’s the pre-planning and there’s the whiteboard stage, and there’s the pouring your heart out and getting all the bits in and then obviously, Anne-Marie goes away and delivers a brilliant script,” she explained.

“When I’m in it, it does become a little difficult because you work at night, work at the weekends… I was being pulled off set and working. It is exhausting, but also, look what we created. I’m really proud of it, I can’t believe we’ve done it.”

Hinting at a particularly gripping moment between the two main characters, Suranne went on: “It has to manifest itself. I felt anxious for the first time watching it… Something has to give with these two and there’s a release in one, but then Bert gets worse.”

Suranne also disclosed the reasoning behind her dramatic makeover into Bert.

In the programme, the 47 year old actress appears completely transformed as she dons a sleek blonde bob instead of her signature dark locks.

Discussing Bert’s bold fashion choices, Suranne revealed that she put together an extensive mood board to help her envision her character’s look, including her significant tattoos.

“She wants to project to the world that she’s dangerous, she’s had this sort of life, but obviously that’s just a projection and then the outfits were part of that. It’s loud. I’m here, you will look at me. It’s all presentation,” she said.

“The blonde came because when Jodie said yes, she said she wasn’t going to dye her hair. So, I assumed she’d be blonde and I was going to have like un undercut. And then I was like, ‘It’s okay. She can stay dark, I’ll go blonde.'”

“And everyone went, ‘What?! You’re gonna look so different!’ And we were like, ‘Exactly, that’s going to work.'”

Executive Producer for Monumental Television Alison Owen added: “Suranne was fierce about the whole look. I mean, every day, weren’t you going through it so minutely. It was a real education for me in seeing someone create a character through your make-up, your hair, your costume, such precision.”

Suranne concluded: “I just knew her. We talked a lot and I just knew that’s what we wanted.”

Frauds premieres Sunday 5th October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Suranne Jones will be playing fictional British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton on the political thriller series where the head of government faces difficult decisions when her husband is kidnapped

Netflix has released first look images of Hostage, a new political thriller starring Suranne Jones in her first-ever project for the streaming platform.

The five part series will see Jones take on the role of British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton, who finds herself in crisis when her husband is kidnapped. French screen queen Julie Delpy will co-star as fictional French President Vivienne Toussaint, who is blackmailed around the same time.

Both women end up having to make very difficult decisions which put their political reputations on the line. Netflix’s synopsis teases: “When the British Prime Minister’s husband is kidnapped and the visiting French President is blackmailed, the two political leaders both face unimaginable choices.

“Forced into a fierce rivalry where their political futures, and lives, might hang in the balance, can they work together to uncover the plot that threatens them both?”

The series is written by Bridge of Spies and Treason creator Matt Charman, with Jones doubling up as an executive producer. The Vigil and Doctor Foster star has opened up about the project, saying: “I’m thrilled to be on Netflix, in something I’m really proud of. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

“We’d talked about projects previously, but for me it was about finding the right thing. Hostage was perfect – me and Matt together backed up by this brilliant, supportive team. I loved it.”

Charman praised Jones’s performance, saying: “I’ve been dying to find the right story to tell with Suranne and I honestly believe what she’s done with this character is going to blow the Netflix audience away. An embattled British PM in the middle of a fight for her country and her family – she’s fierce, ruthless and you can’t take your eyes off of her.”

Julie Delpy will also be joining Jones on screen alongside a star-studded cast that also includes Queen Charlotte’s Corey Mylchreest, Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London), Ashley Thomas (The Ipcress File), James Cosmo (Shetland), Martin McCann (Blue Lights), and Jehnny Beth (An Impossible Love). Hostage will premiere on Netflix on August 21.

Suranne Jones has also recently joined the cast of a new ITV heist drama, Frauds. She will be starring as Bert, a criminal who ended up in a Spanish prison for a decade but still has plans to complete one final big job when she gets out of lockup.

The actress spoke about the show, which she is starring in alongside Jodie Whittaker, saying: “Working on Frauds with Anne-Marie and Monumental for the last two years has been a wild ride. We took the idea of toxic female friendship and turned it on its head to give the heist genre an emotional heartbeat.

“I have always wanted to work with Jodie, and now I am. I hope you love Bert and Sam and all they get up to as much as we do.”

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Billie Piper will be the next Doctor after it was revealed in the finale episode of the latest series last weekend – but she accidentally ‘shared’ the news weeks before

Actress Billie Piper appeared to let slip she was returning to Doctor Who weeks before it was revealed. The 42-year-old will become the second female Doctor in the next series. So far, Jodie Whittaker is the only female to take on the iconic role.

It comes after Ncuti Gatwa’s shock exit during the finale of the latest series when his character regenerated into Billie in his final episode, which aired on the BBC on Saturday, May 31.

Speaking in BBC Three’s Doctor Who: Unleashed to mark the 20 years since the show was revived, Billie dropped a huge hint she was returning to the show for the third time, following her original appearance as Rose Tyler from 2005 to 2006 and a cameo in 2010.

Asked if she would ever make a comeback in the interview filmed weeks before the news was officially announced, she said: “Yeah I would… I would come back. What’s funny is that I never feel like I’ve left Doctor Who, because there is this huge Doctor Who afterlife.”

READ MORE: Billie Piper packs on the PDA with ex-boyfriend at gig after ‘rekindling romance’

She continued: “Obviously people still really want to talk about it, it’s a massive fandom, so we do conventions and we meet lots of the fans, and there’s always features. It’s always on the TV on some channel, and a new generation pick it up, so it never feels like it’s over, like it does with all the other jobs I’ve done.”

Billie then accidentally blurted out: “So coming back is really good fun.” Quickly correcting herself, she added: “So I would do it, but I still feel like I’m in it. Just a lot older.”

Now cat is out the bag, Billie has since said it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. In a statement, she shared: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse, as I have some of my best memories there. So to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse.”

Now it is rumoured that the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant, could also return to the show alongside Billie 20 years after they first appeared on screen together. Though if Billie is the new Doctor, it’s unclear what role David would take on.

A source told The Sun: “The BBC brought Doctor Who back in 2005 and there is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in a golden age of Doctor Who.

“With the anniversary of the reboot this year there have been some ideas floated about, with the thought of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah. When David’s Doctor bi-generated in the 60th anniversary special, his ‘half’ went on to live a normal life in an alternative universe while Ncuti Gatwa’s carried on as the Time Lord.

“It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of imagination for him to return with Billie as Rose for a one-off special to celebrate not only their partnership, but the anniversary of BBC bringing back Doctor Who.”

David, 54, played the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and appeared in three specials returning as the 14th Doctor before handing the role over to 32-year-old Sex Education star Ncuti.

Speaking about his exit from the show after just one season, Ncuti told fans: “You know when you get cast, at some point, you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it. This journey has been one that I will never forget and a role that will be part of me forever.

“I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”

Explaining his reasons for leaving, he added: “It’s a role that demands a lot of you physically and emotionally and mentally. The actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor. Unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life, but my knees are telling me it’s time.”

However, die-hard fans think there may be another reason behind his exit. Taking to X, a fan named Mr Tardis wrote: “In October 2024, Ncuti Gatwa was on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ saying he was going to be filming another series of DW next year. In June 2025, he officially leaves the show and regenerates. This was never the plan. What a shame. He deserved so much better.”

But the BBC were quick to shut down those claims. A spokesperson said: “Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been ‘axed’ is pure fiction.”

READ MORE: Zara McDermott shares ‘unreal’ £30 hair waver that’s been creating her go-to summer hair

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