21st May 2026
Pack of Lies, a play by Hugh Whitemore, is the latest production being performed at the Players Theatre in Thame from 7th – 11th July. It follows Bob and Barbara Jackson, their daughter Julie, and their friends and neighbours, Peter and Helen Kroger, in a gripping drama about friendship, truth and betrayal.
The Jacksons are a nice middle-aged couple, living an ordinary, peaceful life in the quiet suburbia of 1960s Ruislip. Then one day a Scotland Yard detective arrives, asking to use their house as an observation station to try and foil a Soviet spy ring operating in the area. As Scotland Yard’s demands on them increase, with agents taking up residence in their house, the Jacksons become more and more put out, asking themselves: why them? why this street? They are really put to the test when the detective reveals that the spies are actually their neighbours, the Krogers, and asks them to help set a trap. But should they betray their friends?
Hugh Whitemore’s slow-burning play is based on the real-life Portland spy ring affair of the early 1960s, a Soviet espionage network which had penetrated Britain's Royal Navy. The play contrasts ordinary everyday suburban British life with the fictional worlds of John Le Carre and Ian Fleming. It was first seen in the West End in 1983 with Judi Dench and Michael Williams. Judi Dench won the Laurence Olivier Award as Best Actress for her performance. Hugh Whitemore, who died in 2018, was acknowledged as an accomplished craftsman for theatre and TV for over 50 years.
Thame Players’ production, directed by Theo Read, who brings a wealth of experience based on a variety of professional as well as amateur productions, will be performed every evening from Tuesday 7th to Saturday 11th July at 7.45 pm. As part of their 2026 enhancements, based on recent experience of shows frequently selling out, Thame Players will be performing Pack of Lies twice on Saturday 11th July, with a matinee at 2.30 pm as well as the evening performance at 7.45 pm. So get your tickets now and uncover the truth about the Soviet spy ring!
This amateur production of Pack of Lies is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
