Beyond Belief: Scenes from the Shipman Inquiry

Short abstract

Edited by Dennis Woolf Library Theatre, Manchester, until 20 November 2004

Rating: ★★

The public inquiry into the criminal activities of Harold Shipman, a general practitioner in Hyde, Greater Manchester, found that the once much respected family doctor had killed more than 200 of his patients by diamorphine injection. Most of us are familiar with these bare facts. But what about the personal stories behind the statistics of Britain's most prolific mass murderer? For me it was only through the chilling experience of coming across his name in patients' notes and chance meetings with those who had known him, during my community training as a medical student in Manchester, that the true horror of his crimes began to take on any real meaning.

Beyond Belief: Scenes from the Shipman Inquiry uses edited verbatim transcripts from the public inquiry, with actors playing lawyers and witnesses, to piece together how Shipman escaped detection for so long. But in addition to presenting this stark narrative, the production also focuses on the personal tragedies of those affected by his crimes—colleagues who felt duped and used, and relatives who still feel let down by the authorities for not protecting their loved ones. By unearthing the experiences of ordinary people who were unwittingly caught up in Shipman's web of deceit, the editor Dennis Woolf presents us with testimony from the inquiry that is often moving and always absorbing.

But there are intrinsic difficulties with this form of documentary theatre, as the director Chris Honer makes clear: “You're not dealing with finely crafted dialogue, but the hesitations, rephrasing, and illogical way people actually speak.” This leaves much room for interpretation, as does the initial selection of testimony from an inquiry that has been running for several years. Where does the “truth” lie when two and a half years are condensed into two and a half hours?

Figure 1.

Like a benevolent but bossy schoolmistress: Romy Baskerville as inquiry chairwoman Dame Janet Smith

The staging of this production takes us into the inquiry chamber, with Romy Baskerville, playing the inquiry's chairwoman, Dame Janet Smith, presiding over the hearings like a benevolent but bossy schoolmistress. Large video screens flank her—as in the real inquiry—showing grainy close-ups of witnesses and cited documents, adding an air of authenticity.

A succession of witnesses appear, to be questioned by the inquiry lawyers and occasionally by Dame Janet. There are some macabre moments: we are told how Shipman decided to produce a surgery newsletter that was soon publishing the number of deaths in the practice, with subsequent editions listing by name those who had died. We discover how Shipman used to joke with one of his practice staff that every time she wore earrings someone died. After one death she left her earrings at home for a week. One employee describes how Shipman came back to the surgery and forced her to guess at length who had just died. And there is high drama when we hear how one of Shipman's receptionists, when asked to amend her job description, had written: “Can't think of anything else—except finding dead bodies in treatment rooms.”

One of the most powerful moments is at the start of act two, when a visibly shaken Primrose Shipman, played by Joan Kempson, is called to give evidence. Dennis Woolf explains: “When she's told that her husband claimed that she was present when Mrs Chapman [one of Shipman's victims] died, it may well have been the first time she had doubts about her husband's innocence. She did crumble.”

And what about those who could have stopped Shipman? In this production no one in authority escapes unscathed. The pharmacist is portrayed as weak and unquestioning in failing to challenge Shipman's prescribing habits, and the initial police inquiry is shown to be dismissive and ineffective. The General Medical Council (GMC) witness comes across as arrogant and obstreperous and a local general practitioner is portrayed as at best naive and at worst grasping for the financial perk of the cremation form fee.

Figure 2.

Visibly shaken: Joan Kempson as Primrose Shipman

Unfortunately, with the exception of a number of cast members—notably Cate Hamer as the courteous but persistent inquisitor Caroline Swift QC, and Eileen O'Brien as the homely Dr Booth—many of the characters come across as caricatures rather than multi-layered individuals, and this sadly detracts from the powerful dialogue.

As the title—Beyond Belief—suggests, a recurring theme is the sheer disbelief from all quarters that someone who was thought to be a caring and diligent doctor could ever commit such heinous crimes. We even learn that in the days before Shipman's trial, with mounting evidence of his guilt, key police officers working on the case were continuing to ask each other if it could really be so. This incredulity had allowed Shipman to go on killing even after suspicions had been raised.

The production ends with a stark reminder of how Shipman's betrayal of trust made victims of many more than those he killed: “Shipman ended lives, friendships and marriages, robbing children and grandchildren of parents and grandparents as and when he wished. He has his place in history, guilty of the ultimate crime, the ultimate betrayal on a staggering scale.”