ITV Joan ending explained as viewers gripped by true crime drama

Viewers have been gripped by the new ITV crime drama Joan, which covers the life of UK's most notorious jewel thief. 

Joan Hannington, also known as The Godmother, was a prolific criminal in the criminal underworld of 1980s London who began to steal diamonds for the thrills and to raise money to get her daughter out of foster care.

The series recreates the events of why Hannington lost her child to foster, her first theft of impulsively swallowing jewels and her life of crime.

Written by Anna Symon, the series was first broadcast on ITV1, with the entire series available to be watched on ITVX. Episode five sees Joan plan her escape with husband Boisie (Fred Dillane), secure a passport for her daughter Kelly (Mia Millichamp-Long) a passport and one final heist - her boss' jewellery shop. 

With some scenes inspired by real events, fans of the series will be wondering how the series ends, if Joan was successful and if in fact, did the events of the finale actually happen. 

What happens in the ending of ITV's Joan?

Episode six saw Joan execute her plan to rob Bernard's (Alex Blake) jewellery shop and taking the entirety of the premiere collection.

Joan was told by Boisie about Paul pulling out of the raid and called for a rethink, but Joan insisted he is replaced and the heist goes ahead. Just as Bernard and Joan are at the safe, Boisie and Paul's stand-in Gary - also Kelly's father and Joan's ex - storm the store.

Boisie holds Bernard at gunpoint as Gary, carrying a loaded shotgun, continues to raid the store by smashing into the cabinets. After Bernard hears that Joan is in charge of the heist, the shocked businessman aims his gun towards Josie and a diving Boisie is shot in the leg.

Gary meanwhile runs to the van with Albie and they drive away as Joan carries a severely injured Boisie out of the store and into the alleyway. Boisie tells Joan to get her daughter Kelly and leave him, as he bleeds out and dies in the alleyway.

Joan continues with her plan to take Kelly away and poses as an American journalist seeking to write an article about British schoolchildren at Kelly's school.

Kelly is thrilled to see her mother, but Joan tells her to keep the secret and meet her at the gate. They drive away together and Joan discovers from Albie's heartbroken partner Val that he's fled the country. 

Joan and Kelly travel to the pre-arranged hideout caravan but Joan is still reeling from the death of Boisie and struggles to remain calm. Kelly is unable to make her mother happy and later finds a gun in her mother's suitcase.

Joan stops Kelly from firing the gun and realises she cannot look after Kelly and drops her off at the foster home. Joan gives herself up to the police and is sent to prison. 

A flash-forward to four years later sees Joan look out over the Spanish cliffs that she first visited with Boisie. With tattoos covering her childhood scars, Albie greets Joan with a suitcase full of money for her.

Joan reveals she was released from prison early for good behaviour and shares she's going back to work but leaving behind her criminal lifestyle. She tells Albie to leave but as he walks away and tells her to be careful, she says: "And you. Watch your f**king back."

Is ITV series Joan based on a true story?

The ITV drama is largely based on Joan Hannington's memoir I Am What I Am, which covered her jewel heists and criminal lifestyle. You can buy a reprint of the book through Amazon or Waterstones.

While the book served as material for the six-part drama, there are some elements that were changed in the ITV drama. For instance, the violent raid on Bernard's jewel shop never happened, nor did Boisie's death by being shot in the leg.

The real Boisie Hannington has died, but he died trying to burn a house down to claim insurance money. Giving an exclusive interview with the Scottish Daily Record in 2003, the real-life Joan recounted her time with Boisie: "He wasn't handsome, but he was smart and treated me with respect.

"Officially, Benny was an antiques dealer, but he made his money as a high-class thief. We fell in love and within weeks he'd moved in."

Joan was never jailed for an armed jewellery raid, but she was sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing a cheque book. The imprisonment occurred before she became a diamond thief.

Joan did have a daughter called Debbie but was renamed as Kelly in the ITV drama. Joan's ex-husband and Debbie's father, Ray Pavey was also renamed Gary. 

In reality, Boisie's death saw Joan rethink her criminal career and she sold her husband’s antiques shop and moved to Islington in north London. She began a business renovating old council houses and kept on the straight and narrow.

Joan Hannington first shared her story in her memoir I Am What I Am in the early 2000s and quickly became a best-selling book. She currently has two children, and a granddaughter and she lives on the South Coast with her two dogs.