New Play About The Post Office Scandal Premieres in Scarborough

A powerful new dramatisation of what has been described as the largest miscarriage of justice in the United Kingdom’s history is set to premiere in Scarborough tonight.

Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal, written by Zannah Kearns and produced by RABBLE Theatre, opens at the Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) for a two-night run on the 6th and 7th of February.

The production aims to humanise the complex legal battle by focusing on the lived experiences of those affected, particularly sub-postmistress Pam Stubbs. According to the play's creators, the production was developed in close collaboration with Mrs Stubbs, who worked alongside Bridlington’s Lee Castleton OBE to challenge the failings of the Horizon IT system.

Matthew Lindley, Associate Producer of RABBLE Theatre, highlighted the importance of centring the narrative on the personal toll of the scandal. 

“We focus on the story of Pam Stubs. So if Alan Bates was the number one witness in the high court case, literally called number one, Pam was number two.

And Pam was the post mistress who kept a manual ledger of everything that was going through her system. So she was able to prove how Horizon wasn't coming up with correct figures.

By focusing in on Pam's own story. It becomes a very personal story. As an audience member in the room, you go on this extraordinary roller coaster which at one point you're feeling incredibly angry at what's happening to this character you come to know. There are moments of hope and joy and then a wider kind of frustration around how have we let this happen in our modern day society.”

The play delves into the origins of the scandal, tracing the timeline from the initial installation of the flawed software. Matthew Lindley says being able to draw on Pam's real life experience of the scandal has been invaluable in telling the story:

“Pam was one of the core members of the group that ultimately brought the post office to task, Lee, Allan, Pam, and Jo Hamilton and a number of and a number of others.

You'll know from Lee's own story, from Allen's story. Each of them had these incredibly in a way painful stories. Pam's own story. She and her husband were running the post office together and then ultimately husband died from cancer and as she took on the post office, Horizon came in.

So, you get these extraordinary and heartbreaking personal stories. And one of the things that I think happens in live theatres much more so than on TV is you get a real attachment. You feel really connected to the characters.”

The production features a cast with strong ties to the region. Joanne Howarth, who portrays Pam Stubbs, recently performed at the SJT in Henry V, while Laura Penneycard, playing multiple roles including Tracey Felstead, has strong family connections to Scarborough. Toby Davies, Artistic Director and Founder of RABBLE Theatre, expressed pride in opening the show on the Yorkshire Coast, noting: “We truly appreciate the relevance that it has locally and are pleased to be helping to keep the story in the public eye”.

Reflecting on the choice of venue and the commitment to authenticity, Mr Lindley commented:

“We're premiering the show effectively here in Scarborough which is a the Steven Joseph is such a great space to open new work in.

We go right back to when to when Horizon was first installed into into Pam's Portakabin. So we go right back to the in a sense to the beginnings of the of the story and go almost up to present day.

Pam's been in rehearsals. Pam's been all around the story. So I think for us authenticity is really key. We're really focusing in on Pam's story. There is a duty on us as theatre makers to really tell her story to be really authentic and I hope we achieve it, I mean certainly Pam feels that we have but it's really important to us that it's an authentic story that we're telling.”

As the legal and political fallout of the Horizon scandal continues to develop, those behind Glitch believe the stage provides a unique platform to ensure the human impact is never forgotten. Mr Lindley concluded:

“One of the things that Pam said to all of us is that the importance of Glitch is very much about keeping the story alive and I think that's what Glitch has really tried to do to try and keep the story in front of all of our minds as probably the largest miscarriage of justice that's happened  in the United Kingdom long period of time.

I really hope that actually what the piece does is bring the story to life, bring it back up to to the top of our own agendas. And as Pam says, it has not finished. This is still ongoing. Of course, the human impact, which is such a key part of the story that we're telling on Glitch, I think that will never cease, particularly for the families who who were bereaved as a direct result of Horizon or indeed have gone through these horrific experiences at the hands of, as we point out in the show, one of the most respected UK organizations.”

Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal is at the  Stephen Joseph Theatre for a two-night run on the 6th and 7th of February. There are more details at https://sjt.uk.com/events/glitch-the-true-story-of-the-post-office-scandal