The Freshwater Five at Queens Hall Arts Centre

In 2011, five fishermen on the Isle of Wight (Jamie Green, Jon Beere, Daniel Payne, Scott Birtwistle and Zoran Dresic) were sentenced to a total of 104 years for conspiracy to import £53m worth of cocaine. They have always professed their innocence. A tale that has long divided our Isle of Wight community. This powerful new debut play and production seeks to present the case and its events on their merits and explore the state of our coastal communities.

Inspired by the wildly popular Guardian Today in Focus podcast, The Freshwater Five incorporates spectacular storytelling, verbatim accounts, inventive stagecraft, poetry and song. The Isle of Wight company delves into subjects of historical and contemporary smuggling, deteriorating coastal communities, immigration and folklore as well as examining this ancient profession’s place in our times.

Fresh from sell-out tours to coastal communities tour and across the south east in 2023 and 2024, award-winning Isle of Wight company Deadman is bringing it on a national tour in 2026. Led by IOWers artistic director Samuel Bossman, playwright Liam Patrick Harrison’s full-length debut is a detailed and rich theatrical investigation into the men’s tragic downfall.