‘The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe’ firm preps Barings Bank & Nick Leeson drama

The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe

The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe producer Story Films has started development on a four-part drama exploring the notorious collapse of Barings Bank and the man at the centre of the scandal, trader Nick Leeson.

The Man Who Broke The Bank (w/t) is being written by Tony Marchant (The Mark Of Cain, Butterfly) and is destined for a UK broadcaster.

Specifics have been kept under wraps – ITV aired The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe in the UK, with global distribution via All3Media International. The sales arm of All3Media-backed Story Films is also selling The Man Who Broke The Bank.

The story will track “the meteoric rise and fall of the plasterer’s son from Watford who secretly hid losses of more than £800m, leading to the collapse of one of Britain’s oldest merchant banks.”

Dave Nath, co-founder of Story Films, said: “Tony Marchant’s scripts tell a gripping tale of ‘90s hubris, of squandered talent, fear, fraud and disgrace. We couldn’t have hoped for a more talented writer to tell this incredible story in such a dramatic and nuanced way.”

Louise Pedersen, CEO of All3Media International, said the show came amid “great appetite in the global market for true crime dramas, particularly those that offer a fresh take on the true crime narrative.”