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How could you do if that wildest friend from your youth reappeared? Imagine if you were battling a terminal illness and had nothing to lose? What if you were plagued by remorse for getting your friend imprisoned 10 years ago? Suppose you were the one she landed in the clink and you were only being released to succumb to illness in her custody? What if you had been a almost unstoppable pair of scam artists who still had a stash of disguises from your prime and a longing to feel some excitement again?

All this and more form the core of Frauds, an original series featuring Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, flings at us on a wild, thrilling six-part ride that follows two conwomen determined to executing a final scheme. Echoing a recent project, Jones co-created this with her collaborator, and it retains similar qualities. Just as the mystery-thriller formula was used as background to emotional conflicts gradually unveiled, here the elaborate theft Jones’ character Roberta (Bert) has carefully planned in prison since her diagnosis is the vehicle for an exploration of companionship, deceit, and affection in all its forms.

Bert is placed under the supervision of Sam (Whittaker), who resides close by in the Spanish countryside. Remorse prevented her from ever visiting Bert, but she has stayed close and worked no cons without her – “Bit crass with you in prison for a job I botched.” And for her new, albeit short, freedom, she has purchased numerous undergarments, because various methods exist 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 leading her quiet life and care for Bert until her passing. Bert possesses different plans. And when your daftest friend has other ideas – well, those tend to be the ones you follow. Their old dynamic slowly resurfaces and Bert’s plans are already in motion by the time she lays out the full blueprint for the robbery. This show plays around with the timeline – to good rather than eye-rolling effect – to give us the set-pieces first and then the rationale. So we observe the duo stealing gems and timepieces from affluent attendees at a memorial service – and bagging a golden crown of thorns because why wouldn’t you if you could? – before ripping off their wigs and reversing their funeral attire to become colourful suits as they walk confidently down the chapel stairs, filled with excitement and loot.

They require the stolen goods to finance the operation. This involves hiring a document expert (with, unbeknown to them, a betting addiction that is likely to draw unneeded scrutiny) in the guise of magician’s assistant Jackie (Elizabeth Berrington), who possesses the necessary skills to help them remove and replace the intended artwork (a renowned Dali painting at a prominent gallery). They also enlist art enthusiast Celine (Kate Fleetwood), who specialises in works by artists depicting female subjects. She is equally merciless as all the criminals the forger and their funeral robbery are attracting, including – most dangerously – their former leader Miss Take (Talisa Garcia), a modern-day Fagin who had them running scams for her from their teens. She reacted poorly to the pair’s assertion of themselves as independent conwomen so there’s ground to make up in that area.

Unexpected developments are interspersed with deepening revelations about Bert and Sam’s history, so you experience the full enjoyment of a sophisticated heist tale – executed with no shortage of brio and admirable willingness to skate over rampant absurdities – alongside a mesmerisingly intricate portrait of a friendship that is potentially as harmful 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 the gnawing pain within that has nothing to do with metastasising cells. Whittaker stands with her, delivering excellent acting in a slightly less interesting part, and alongside the writers they create a fantastically stylish, deeply moving and profoundly intelligent work of art that is feminist to its bones without preaching and an absolute success. More again, soon, please.