A TEESSIDE TV star was spotted filming in Middlesbrough yesterday evening as part of an upcoming drama series about the strange real-life case of "canoe man" John Darwin.

Monica Dolan was spotted on set along St Hilda's and Zetland Street on Wednesday evening, with co-star Eddie Marsan, filming for The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe.

Eddie was spotted standing at a bus stop opposite the Transporter Bridge and was later spotted behind the wheel with Monica Dolan on Zetland Street.

The ITV drama will tell the story of how Ms Darwin, played by Dolan, became complicit in her husband’s deception, allowing them to collect his life insurance.

She lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years while her husband secretly lived in a bedsit.

Eventually they moved to Panama City, before their secret was exposed by the discovery of a photo showing them in an estate agents’ office in July 2006.

They were jailed for fraud in 2008.

It is based on an unpublished manuscript written by journalist David Leigh, who was the first reporter to find Ms Darwin as she was starting her new life in Panama.

Mr Marsan, before filming started, said: “I’m so thrilled to be working with Chris Lang, one of our greatest writers, and to get the chance to work with Monica Dolan.

"The story of how and why John Darwin faked his own death to defraud insurance companies is fascinating, and if it weren’t fact, you’d think it unbelievable.

“I can’t pretend to understand what was going on in his head when he made those choices, but I’m going to do my absolute best to portray him, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Ms Dolan said: “The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe tells the story of surely the most outrageous fraud of modern times – and my favourite kind of drama is when the outrageous comes from the prosaic.

“As breathtaking as their managing to pull this deception off in the first place, is how spectacularly the couple wrecked it for themselves as soon as they had got away with it.”