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How could you do if your most reckless friend from your youth got back in touch? Imagine if you were battling a terminal illness and felt completely unburdened? What if you were plagued by remorse for landing your friend in the clink 10 years ago? If you were the one she got sent to prison and your release was granted to die of cancer in her custody? What if you had been a nearly unbeatable pair of con artists who retained a collection of costumes from your prime and a deep desire for one last thrill?

All this and more form the core of Frauds, a new drama featuring Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, presents to viewers on a wild, thrilling six-part ride that traces two conwomen bent on executing a final scheme. Similar to a recent project, Jones developed this series with her collaborator, and it has all the same strengths. Much like a suspense-driven structure served as a backdrop to the psychodramas gradually unveiled, here the grand heist Jones’ character Roberta (Bert) has meticulously arranged in prison after learning her prognosis is the vehicle for an exploration of companionship, deceit, and affection in every variation.

Bert is placed under the supervision of Sam (Whittaker), who lives nearby in the Spanish countryside. Guilt stopped her from seeing Bert during her sentence, but she remained nearby and worked no cons without her – “Rather insensitive with you in prison for a job I botched.” And for her new, if brief, life on the outside, she has purchased numerous undergarments, because there are many ways for women companions to show repentance and one is the purchase of “a big lady-bra” following ten years of underwire-free prison-issue rubbish.

Sam aims to continue leading her quiet life and care for Bert until her passing. Bert possesses different plans. And when your daftest friend devises alternative schemes – well, you often find yourself going along. Their former relationship gradually reasserts itself and Bert’s plans are already in motion by the time she reveals the complete plan for the robbery. This show plays around with the timeline – producing engagement rather than confusion – to give us the set-pieces first and then the rationale. So we watch the pair stealing gems and timepieces off wealthy guests’ wrists at a memorial service – and bagging a golden crown of thorns because what’s to stop you if you could? – before ripping off their wigs and turning their mourning clothes inside out to transform into vibrant outfits as they walk confidently down the church steps, awash with adrenaline and loot.

They need the assets to finance the operation. This involves recruiting a forger (with, unbeknown to them, a betting addiction that is likely to draw unwanted attention) in the form of illusionist’s aide Jackie (Elizabeth Berrington), who possesses the necessary skills to assist in swapping the target painting (a famous surrealist piece at a prominent gallery). Additionally, they recruit art enthusiast Celine (Kate Fleetwood), who focuses on works by male artists exploiting women. She is as ruthless as any of the gangsters the forger and their funeral robbery are drawing towards them, including – most perilously of all – their former leader Miss Take (Talisa Garcia), a modern-day Fagin who employed them in frauds for her since their youth. She did not take well to their declaration of independence as self-reliant tricksters so unresolved issues remain in that area.

Unexpected developments are interspersed with progressively uncovered truths about the duo’s past, so you experience the full enjoyment of a Thomas Crown Affair-ish caper – executed with no shortage of brio and admirable willingness to overlook obvious implausibilities – alongside a captivatingly detailed portrait of a bond that is possibly as toxic as Bert’s cancer but equally difficult to eradicate. Jones gives perhaps her finest and most complex performance yet, as the damaged, resentful Bert with her endless quest for thrills to divert attention from her internal anguish that is unrelated to metastasising cells. Whittaker stands with her, delivering excellent acting in a somewhat less flashy role, and alongside the writers they create a fantastically stylish, emotionally rich and highly insightful work of art that is inherently empowering devoid of lecturing and an absolute success. Eagerly awaiting future installments.