The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe viewers open-mouthed as they spot beloved comedian making unexpected cameo

THE Thief, His Wife and The Canoe fans were stunned by an "unexpected" appearance from comedian Karl Pilkington.

The true-life drama sees Anne Darwin become complicit in her husband John’s deception as she starts to convince the world that he has gone missing in 2002, while canoeing off the coast of Seaton Carew in Cleveland.

But a memorable part of the episode was a cameo from Karl as DC Phil Bayley.

Karl is best known for An Idiot Abroad, Derek, Sick of It and being best pals with Ricky Gervais.

The 49-year-old is also a radio pal of Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

His appearance in the ITV series in his first drama role.

Taking to Twitter to share their surprise, one said: "Karl Pilkington turning up as a police interviewer in E3 of #TheThiefHisWifeAndTheCanoe was unexpected."

Another wrote: "When @KarlPilkington randomly turns up in an ITV drama about canoe man."

A third penned: "Eh wtf why is Karl Pilkington in #TheTheifHisWifeAndTheCanoe that's mental. #CanoeMan"

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is based on the true story events that took place early 2000s.

While most of the story is true, ITV has confirmed that some characters and events were created for entertainment purposes.

The mini-series was inspired by a memoir written by journalist David Leigh.

The four-part drama is written by Chris Lang, and will retell the story of John and Anne Darwin and their infamous insurance scandal.

The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe airs at 9pm on ITV.