He was announced as being cast to play the role of conman John Darwin in new ITV drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe on Monday.
And Eddie Marsan cut a rugged figure as he transformed into the fraudster, who faked his own death in 2002, while filming in Seaton Carew on Tuesday.
The actor, 53, donned a green beanie hat and was seen waving around a walking stick during the outdoors shoot for the upcoming four-part show.
In character: Eddie Marsan cut a rugged figure as he played John Darwin, who faked his own death in 2002, and waved around a walking stick while filming in Seaton Carew on Tuesday
John and Anne Darwin convince their family, friends and insurance companies that he had gone missing during a canoeing incident off Seaton Carew in 2002.
Getting stuck into filming on Tuesday, Eddie was seen walking around in a long grey jacket styled with jeans and a khaki green beanie hat.
He also held onto a walking stick, waving it around at one point, and donned thick glasses for a scene which seemed to involve him waiting for a bus.
The actor also sported a grey beard – just like John did in the picture used on his fake passport – however in a 2008 mugshot he was clean shaven.
Disheveled: The actor, 53, donned a green beanie hat and carried a large dark green holdall bag during the shoot for the upcoming four-part ITV drama
According to The Guardian, for three weeks after the incident John was living rough and calling Anne to get rid of family who had come to support her at their home so he could return.
She eventually drove to Cumbria to collect him, but according to the publication didn’t recognise her spouse as he’d grown a beard and started using a walking stick.
John then moved into a bedsit next door, using a hidden passageway to visit Anne while living under the fake name of John Jones.
Filming snaps taken on Tuesday show Eddie resembling this description of John, suggesting he could be shooting scenes for this section of the fantastical story.
Real life: John and Anne Darwin tried to convince the world that John had gone missing in 2002 whilst canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew. However their secret was exposed by the discovery of a photo of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006 (pictured)
Transformation: The actor sported a grey beard – just like John did in the picture used on his fake passport and shared by Cleveland Police
The wife: Monica Dolan (left) will play Anne Darwin in the drama and was seen with a grey bob cut, similar to Anne’s short hair in photos from the time of the real life case (right in 2007)
Anne and John Darwin, who are now divorced, were both jailed for more than 6 years after they tried to convince family, friends, the police and insurance companies, that John had gone missing in 2002 while canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew.
The ITV drama will focus on how Anne became complicit in her husband’s deception to convince the world he’d gone missing in an attempt to claim life insurance and avoid bankruptcy.
However, the deception was to take its toll on Anne who lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne.
Devastated by the loss of their father, neither son had an inkling their parents were capable of such treachery and being involved in a £679,000 insurance scam.
On the move? Filming for the new series, which is yet to have a release date, seemed to involve a yellow bus
Casual: Eddie sported jeans and a long grey jacket styled with black shoes and a khaki hat
Anne and John, now 70, eventually decided to leave Seaton Carew and move to Panama City to start a new life together before their secret was exposed by the discovery of a photo of them posing in a Panama real estate office in July 2006.
John had been travelling back and forth between Panama and the UK and turned up at a London police station in 2007 claiming he’d been suffering from amnesia.
At her trial Anne pleaded not guilty, arguing that she had been coerced into the plot by her husband, but the jury didn’t believe her.
John was ordered to serve six years and three months in prison while his wife, who police described as a compulsive liar, got six years and six months. She was released from prison in 2011.
Crew: Several cameras could be seen set up on the grass while the yellow bus was parked nearby during the day
Since the astonishing case, the couple have divorced, with John remarrying, and Anne opting for a quiet life away from the headlines.
And in January 2021 it was reported that the former teacher has settled into a new life in the Philippines with new wife Mercy May, who at 47 is 23 years his junior.
The couple married in 2015 after striking up a romance online.
While in 2016 Anne wrote a book about the scandal, writing: ‘I was never motivated by money. That wasn’t the reason. Incredible though it may sound, the only reason I had was my loyalty to John.’
She has since reconciled with her sons, and was last known to be working for the RSPCA in York after gaining qualifications in IT and business while in prison.
Family: Devastated by the loss of their father, both of John’s sons Mark and Anthony didn’t had an inkling their parents were capable of lying about his death (pictured at the trial in 2008)
ITV’s drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is based upon the unpublished manuscript written by journalist David Leigh who was the first journalist to track down Anne as she was on the verge of setting up a new life in Panama.
Stars Monica and Eddie will be joined in the cast by Mark Stanley (White House Farm) and Karl Pilkington (Sick of It, Derek), whose roles have not yet been revealed.
Speaking about his new role, Eddie 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.’
Shocking: Anne lied to their sons, Mark and Anthony, for five years whilst her husband, in the early days of the fraud, secretly lived in a bedsit next door to the home he shared with Anne