Frauds: Jones and Whittaker plot a Dali painting heist in Spain

ITV’s new six-part thriller Frauds premiered on Sunday, October 5, on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX, introducing a sun-soaked heist caper that pairs Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker as two former partners-in-crime who reunite in Spain to attempt one last, high-stakes art theft. The story opens with Bert, played by Jones, released from a Spanish prison after serving a decade and granted compassionate leave because of a terminal cancer diagnosis, and finding Sam, played by Whittaker, reluctant to return to a life of crime until persuaded to join a final job.

The central scheme centers on stealing Salvador Dalí’s The Great Masturbator, a real painting held in Spain’s national collection and displayed in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. The plot follows Bert and Sam as they recruit a motley crew of specialists and navigate obstacles that include investigators, dangerous creditors and Bert’s deteriorating health. Early episodes also focus on the pair rebuilding their fraught relationship and teasing out long-buried grievances before the heist fully takes shape.

Frauds assembles an ensemble cast that includes Talisa García as Miss Take, a drag-club owner and mentor figure; Karan Gill as...