THE THIEF, THE WIFE AND THE CANOE
TV mini SERIES 2022COSTUME DESIGNER — RICHARD COOKE
My role: ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER
The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is set in early 2000s provincial England, a world that needed to look authentically dreary, almost neutrally boring. Common people living ordinary lives, which made the sourcing challenge significant: finding period-accurate pieces without them reading as costume. Much of the wardrobe came from Angels and Carlo Manzi, with careful attention to silhouette, fabric and detail to avoid anything that felt too current.
John was a bit of an exception, outwardly standard, but with occasional moments where something slightly off registers beneath the surface. His costumes had to hold that ambiguity without tipping into caricature.
A major focus was the uniform work, police and court, with meticulous attention to the distinctions between forces depending on location and role: Hartlepool police, the Met, and the specific uniform requirements for the airplane sequence. I led the research and sourcing across all of these alongside supporting the designer on principal and background fittings throughout the production.
The production also had a leg in Portugal, which I led. Working in close contact with Richard Cooke in the UK, I collaborated with Isabel Quadros, a highly regarded Portuguese costume designer acting as supervisor, to ensure full continuity with everything already shot. There was no budget for me to remain until the end of the Portugal shoot, so the handover and briefing process was critical to making it work seamlessly.
CREDITS
Director: Richard Laxton
Writers: Chris Lang, David Leigh
Producer: Allison Sterling
Cast: Monica Dolan, Eddie Marsan
Cinematographer: Sergio Delgado, Hermes Marco
Production Designer: Claire Kenny
Art Director: Katie Gormley (UK), Francisco Oliveira (PT)
Costume Supervisor: Vanessa Preuss (UK) / Isabel Quadros (PT)
Hair & Make Up Design: Nic Collins
Production Companies: Story Films, ITV
Distribution: ITV 1, All3Media
