The Labour MP who faked his own death: Scandalous life of John Stonehouse is turned into ITV drama

As spy thrillers go, the story of John Stonehouse, the British politician who vanished while swimming in the sea off Miami in the early 1970s, is up there with the best of them. A three-part ITV drama starring Matthew Macfadyen as Stonehouse and his real-life wife Keeley Hawes as his onscreen spouse will retell the story of the late MP's disappearance His hapless attempt to start a new life with his mistress, while leaving his wife and children to believe he was dead was, without a doubt, one of the most surreal chapters in British political history and one which, nearly half a century on, has come back to haunt them. For, next week, a new three-part ITV drama starring Matthew Macfadyen as Stonehouse and his real-life wife Keeley Hawes as his onscreen spouse will retell the extraordinary story of the late MP's Reggie Perrin-style disappearance. Meanwhile, Stonehouse's widow, his former secretary and mistress Sheila Buckley, has also given the Mail her damning verdict on the impending ITV drama, likening it to a 'fairy tale'. Stonehouse's widow, his former secretary and mistress Sheila Buckley, has also given the Mail her damning verdict on the impending ITV drama, likening it to a 'fairy tale' According to ITV, the drama will take in his affair with Sheila and his betrayal of his loving wife as well as his work for the Czech secret service in the 1960s.