Afternoon Play - Tetherdown

The place: London. The threat of terrorism, imported and home-grown, hangs in the air. A recession bites. Fresh crimes of violence are reported daily, with Londoners torn between fascination and fear, and the police struggling to retain the confidence of the public. The year: 1896. In the well-heeled suburb of Muswell Hill, Henry Smith, a retired engineer, is found tied-up and beaten to death in his own home. Scotland Yard detectives are on the scene within the hour, but their investigations are hampered by judges and politicians, who refuse to recognise the latest breakthrough in forensic science, fingerprints. "The British policeman," says a high court judge," must depend on his customary tenacity and ingenuity." As the detectives identify suspects, and launch a nationwide manhunt, news of the crimes goes global, with reports in newspapers as far apart as the USA and New Zealand. Tetherdown (the name of the road where the murder took place) is a fast-moving play by Scott Cherry and Gregory Evans which views these tragic events of over a century ago through the prism of 2010. Every character is based on a real person connected to the case. Nicholas Woodeson (Great Expectations; Conspiracy; Red Riding) stars as Detective Constable Burrell. DC Burrell ..... Nicholas Woodeson Inspector Marshall ..... Sean Baker Nutkins ..... Ben Crowe Emily ..... Alison Pettitt Milsom ..... Tony Bell Fowler ..... Jude Akuwudike Judge ..... Ian Masters Director: Marion Nancarrow.