The Man They Couldn't Hang: A Tale of Murder, Mystery and Celebrity

Did John Lee commit the murder for which he was due to hang? Did poetic justice intervene on that fateful day in Exeter to prevent a miscarriage of justice? Would Lee stand on the scaffold once again with the noose around his neck, on stage for the paying public? And, will the truth come out, as Lee begins to confide in the woman designated as leading lady during rehearsals? The story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee is one of the most bizarre in the true crime genre. Lee is the only person in English history to have been reprieved after standing on a gallows trap which failed to open. This happened at Exeter Prison in 1885, when the notoriously inept public hangman James Berry gave up after three failed attempts. John Lee would then spend 22 years in prison before being released. And James Berry, on his retirement, would spin gruesome tales of his former trade, showing audiences his dark souvenirs. An ideal vehicle for raising issues of crime and punishment, this innovative two-act play is se