Beyond Belief: Scenes from the Shipman Inquiry

Synopsis

The biggest serial killer in British criminal history, Doctor Harold Shipman, metamorphosed from a caring, committed and respected GP into the 'Doctor Death' of the tabloid headlines, and his tally of victims will never be fully known. In a compelling piece of documentary theatre, Dennis Woolf has skillfully edited verbatim extracts from the transcript of Dame Janet Smith's Inquiry. Whilst the why of the case may never be understood, Woolf illuminates how it was that Shipman got away with so much for so long. Beyond Belief raises all kinds of questions about the trust we place in authority figures, their accountability and how we can avoid such a tragedy happening again.

Our Review:

26 October 2004

Harold Shipman, Britain's most prolific serial killer was found guilty of murdering 15 of the patients in his Hyde doctor's practice, although he is thought to have killed over 200 people. Nobody really knows what his motive was and in January this year, Shipman took his secrets to the grave following his suicide.

Dame Janet Smith's Inquiry of 2001 attempted to explain how Shipman was able to escape detection. Dame Janet intends to submit her final report later this year. In the meantime, audiences in Manchester are able to debate the case all over again via this compelling piece of documentary theatre.

Dennis Woolf who has painstakingly edited the details of the inquiry acknowledges that we may never know the 'why' element of the case. But his play does highlight the flaws within the system which led to Shipman literally getting away with murder for such a long period of time.

Director Chris Honer coaxes such natural performances from his ...

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