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What could you do if that wildest companion from your teenage years reappeared? Imagine if you were dying of cancer and felt completely unburdened? Consider if you were plagued by remorse for getting your friend imprisoned 10 years ago? Suppose you were the one she got sent to prison and you were only being released to succumb to illness in her care? If you used to be a almost unstoppable pair of scam artists who still had a collection of costumes from your prime and a deep desire for one last thrill?

These questions and beyond form the core of Frauds, a new drama starring Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, flings at us on a wild, thrilling six-part ride that follows two female fraudsters determined to executing a final scheme. Similar to a recent project, Jones developed this series with a writing partner, and it has all the same strengths. Just as a suspense-driven structure served as a backdrop to the psychodramas slowly revealed, here the grand heist the protagonist Roberta (Bert) has meticulously arranged in prison since her diagnosis is the vehicle for an exploration of friendship, betrayal and love in every variation.

Bert is placed under the supervision of Sam (Whittaker), who resides close by in the Spanish countryside. Guilt stopped her from seeing Bert during her sentence, but she has stayed close and worked no cons without her – “Rather insensitive with you in prison for a job I botched.” And to prepare for Bert’s, albeit short, freedom, she has bought her plenty of new underwear, because there are many ways for women companions to show repentance and a classic example is the acquisition of “a big lady-bra” after a decade of uncomfortable institutional clothing.

Sam wants to carry on maintaining her peaceful existence and look after Bert till the end. Bert possesses different plans. And if your most impulsive companion devises alternative schemes – well, those tend to be the ones you follow. Their former relationship slowly resurfaces and Bert’s plans are already in motion by the time she reveals the complete plan for the heist. The series experiments with chronology – producing engagement rather than confusion – to present key scenes initially and then the rationale. So we watch the pair stealing gems and timepieces from affluent attendees at a funeral – and acquiring a gilded religious artifact because what’s to stop you if you could? – before ripping off their wigs and reversing their funeral attire to transform into vibrant outfits as they walk confidently down the church steps, filled with excitement and assets.

They require the stolen goods to finance the operation. This entails hiring a document expert (with, unbeknown to them, a betting addiction that is due to attract 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 major museum). Additionally, they recruit art enthusiast Celine (Kate Fleetwood), who focuses on works by male artists exploiting women. She is as ruthless as all the criminals their accomplice and the funeral theft are drawing towards them, including – most perilously of all – their old boss Miss Take (Talisa Garcia), a contemporary crime lord who had them running scams for her since their youth. She reacted poorly to the pair’s assertion of themselves as self-reliant tricksters so there’s ground to make up there.

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 – plus 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 multifaceted portrayal yet, as the damaged, resentful Bert with her lifetime pursuit of excitement to distract from her internal anguish that is unrelated to metastasising cells. Whittaker supports her, doing brilliant work in a somewhat less flashy role, and together with the creative team they craft a incredibly chic, deeply moving and profoundly intelligent work of art that is inherently empowering without preaching and an absolute success. Eagerly awaiting future installments.