The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe concluded on ITV last night, but fans were left questioning the actors' choice of accents used throughout the show.
The four-part drama follows the true story of John and Anne Darwin, played by Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan.
The scandalous tale saw John fake his own death after going out to sea in his red canoe to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy.
After its final episode aired last night, fans have been quick to complain about the ‘inaccurate’ Hartlepool accents used by the acting pair.
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Over on Twitter, one person wrote: “Watching The Thief, His Wife & The Canoe and I’m yet to hear a single Hartlepool accent…..”
Another person said: “What's with the accents on The Thief His Wife & The Canoe. They're from Hartlepool, They have the same accent as Teessiders, which is nothing like they're speaking.”
“The thief, his wife and a canoe, so, why is it that ITV think people from Teesside speak with a Geordie accent. This happened in Hartlepool and we DO NOT have that accent!!!! Insulting!!!!” wrote a third.
However, some fans were less harsh, with one saying: “The accents aren’t even that bad on The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe. Good effort on a very niche dialect, I reckon. I couldn’t do a Poolie accent if I tried.”
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The criticism reached its peak after writer of The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe Chris Lang tweeted: "It's lovely people are so passionate about their own accents! John & Anne of course weren't from Seaton Carew, they only moved there in 2002.
"They were both born near Blackhall & over the next five decades lived and worked in (to name a few) Newcastle, Chester Le Street & Durham."
The real-life story saw Anne lie to her sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years while her husband secretly lived in a bedsit next to their home.
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The fraudulent couple decided to leave Seaton Carew for Panama City, when their secret was eventually exposed after a photo surfaced of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006.
During her trial, Anne pleaded not guilty, claiming her husband had coerced her into his plot.
However, the jury did not believe her, sentencing the pair to more than six years each in prison. They were both released in 2011.
Featured Image Credit: ITV/AlamyTopics: ITV, TV and Film, Twitter
