New play about Princess Diana comes to Charing Cross Theatre

A new "factional" drama about the death of Princess Diana will premiere at the Charing Cross Theatre next year.

Running from 9 January to 14 February, Truth, Lies, Diana is written by Jon Conway and centres on a playwright who uncovers secrets about Diana and her death. The play "charts his descent into paranoia as he has to decide what to do with the truths that confront him."

Conway has apparently conducted "meticulous research" into Diana's death in Paris in 1997 and includes actual words spoken by figures including members of the Royal Family, Piers Morgan, Paul Burrell, James Hewitt and Mohammed Al Fayed.

Conway said: "I would never have thought to write this play three years ago. I assumed the conspiracy theories were just that. But then Hillsborough revealed an inquest cover up by the Establishment, Jimmy Savile witnesses derided as unreliable for years were now believed and the Stephen Lawrence murder was not properly investigated and a parent then smeared."

According to press material, the play, which had a preview run in New York last year, "leaves it to the audience to reach their own verdict."

"I asked myself not, was Diana murdered, but do we trust the establishment to tell us the truth?", Conway added. "I read 7,000 pages of evidence and came to the conclusion: 'everything up until the crash looks like an accident, everything after looks like a cover-up'."

Conway will star as the playwright, Ray, opposite Kim Tiddy (The Bill, Hollyoaks) as his wife Suzy and Debbie Arnold (EastEnders) as Gina, a journalist.