Politics, Power and Paper Trails A sharp, actor-led political drama inspired by the real battle over Harold Wilson’s papers. Moving between Whitehall offices and domestic spaces, the play asks who owns a Prime Minister’s story — the family, the nation, or whoever can pay for it.
The Story
Whitehall, 1970s. Harold Wilson has stepped down and the glow of power is fading. Money is tight, legacy is uncertain, and the papers that tell his version of British politics are sitting in boxes. Lady Wilson wants to protect him. Marcia Falkender sees an opportunity…
As the deal ripples outward, civil servants, cabinet secretaries, and overseas institutions are pulled in. What begins as a personal fix becomes a constitutional headache: who controls a Prime Minister’s history, and what happens when loyalty, money, and national memory collide?
How It Plays
A lean ensemble piece: small company, brisk scenes, doubling across decades. Letters read aloud, headlines, kitchen tables and cabinet offices.
What It’s About
At its core, The Wilson Papers is about power after power, what remains when public life ends.
Credits
Written by Alex Viveash. Produced by Mercia Theatre Company. Directed by Simon Ashton.