Peterborough-bound TV star Jeremy Edwards says new stage role is ‘a privilege’

In this fast-moving, hard-hitting political English thriller the action takes place during a fiercely fought election campaign, following Peter George, a politician who promises a new kind of politics beyond sleaze and spin. He is welcomed as a messiah by the British public and expected to restore trust in a broken political system. But a shocking secret lies in the past of our country’s hero. As buried truths rise from the ashes, personal and political influences begin to shake the faith of those closest to him, and a media cascade threatens to bring down Britain’s new saviour.

Making an eagerly awaited return to the stage is Hollyoaks and Holby City actor Jeremy Edwards who plays would-be Prime Minister Peter George.

“I have done a fair bit of theatre, not a huge amount,” says Jeremy when we caught up with him in rehearsals for Dead Lies last week.

“I did a tour similar to this, a bit longer with Les Dennis and Mike McShane called Marlon Brando’s Corset, a national tour, and I was also in the West End in Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Jared Harris and Emelia Fox. But I tend to do more TV and long running stints, I guess I am considered a television actor.”

That said, he is looking forward to the challenge of live theatre once more.

“I feel quite privileged,” he admitted. “It is a tough script, I am not going to lie, because it is so intricate. There is no wastage, everything has a meaning and it has been very carefully and beautifully written - so you really have to get it right.”

Edwards plays a politician, and says of the character: “If Peter George was a real politician with a real party I think he would do very well at the moment, very well.

“ He is an honest politician, which I know sounds a bit of an oxymoron, but he cares genuinely and he is appalled at the state of the world, and what has been going on, so I think he would do very well.

“I would certainly vote for him ... assuming of course he hasn’t done the things we think he may have done!”

The play follows Edwards’ character’s election trail and, interestingly, his speeches along the way are made to the audience.

And it being current, those speeches have been updated by best-selling crime novelist Hilary Bonner, who wrote Dead Lies, to reflect what is going on at the moment.

“I have a new speech I got on Sunday and think I have learned,” Jeremy pointed out. “I don’t know how much of that (updating) she will want to do over the run, it depends on what is in the news really, and that is an added element for me to deal with.

“But I think it is important and I think people will appreciate it. It makes it a bit more believable with me addressing the audience. I think she is quite clever in that I will be talking about issues that are current and the audience might have been hearing about on the news and it it will be something to think about.”

“They will be watching this wonderful murder mystery and thriller with some phenomenal writing and acting in it, but you have also got some thinking pieces in it so hopefully people might learn something too.”

And the ‘wonderful murder mystery’ has plenty of red herrings along the way, of course.

“Our director Joe Harmston has directed a huge amount of Agatha Christie, so we are very fortunate to have the master of whodunnit, the thriller.”

The critically acclaimed Joe Harmston added: “Hilary does that rare thing writing a thriller for the stage: like Agatha Christie, she puts psychology first, making Dead Lies the best sort of whodunnit.”

Tickets for Dead Lies - which also stars Alicia Charles (Coronation Street, Holby City); Portia Booroff (Doctors, EastEnders); Claire Dyson; and George Verghis - are available at www.newtheatre-peterborough.com