Sophie Turner Stars as ‘Godmother’ of the U.K.’s ’80s Criminal Underworld in ‘Joan’

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Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner stars as notorious British jewel thief Joan Hannington in The CW’s Joan (Wednesdays beginning Oct. 2 at 9pm ET/PT) in this colorful historical drama series set in the 1980s.

Inspired by Hannington’s compelling (and oftentimes disturbing) memoir, which includes not only the various crimes she committed during her time as the “godmother” of the U.K. underworld, but also her very traumatic childhood in a downtrodden, low-income area of London, Joan is a fascinating tale of why people do the things they do and how their childhood and environment shapes them.

A single mother at 17, with no high school education and no support from her dysfunctional family, Hannington faced many challenges throughout her life and is open about the fact that she made an abundance of poor decisions.

“I want viewers to see a female criminal in all her complexity. Mothers can be loving and want the best for their kids while at the same time doing things that are both immoral and illegal,” says showrunner Anna Symon. “[Sophie Turner] was instantly able to capture Joan’s strength and her vulnerability, which are the two aspects of Joan’s personality that are constantly in friction.”

Though the series is based on Hannington’s experiences and brings to life many of the real ways she made money stealing jewelry, often by swallowing it whole, this is not a biographical drama and is only inspired by the memoir.

“None of the crimes we portray are an exact replica of the crimes she committed, so none of us have been concerned about the past catching up with her, or her being held accountable for what we show in the drama,” Symon explains. “The real Joan is a straight, law-abiding citizen now, a woman in her 60s who lives a quiet life with her dogs by the sea in England. I hope the audience will fall in love with Joan, even as they despair of what she’s doing. I wanted to make a show that does Joan Hannington justice, while not simplifying or sanitizing her story. The show looks amazing. As well as [Turner’s] extraordinary performance, she looks fabulous in all the 1980s costumes.”