Bible John murders inspire play 50 years after unsolved crimes
S cotland’s notorious Bible John murders are to be turned into a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – half a century on from the killings.
An Edinburgh- born writer is turning the real- life riddle over the unsolved crimes into an exploration of the “current cult of true crime stories”.
An all- female cast will take the audience back to the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow where the killer preyed on his victims in 1968 and 1969.
Caitlin Mcewan’s play, which is billed as a “riotous, furious and joyful exploration of violence”, will examine the growing popularity of documentaries and podcasts recalling true crimes, particularly among women.
Patricia Docker, 25, Jemima Mcdonald, 32, and Helen Puttock, 29, were all raped and strangled after nights out.
The play starts off in the modern- day era when four young women become increasingly obsessed with trying to crack the case, which left generat i ons of detectives baffled. However, it will develop into an exploration of why there appears to be growing “morbid fascination” with serial killers, and the “ethical implications” of deriving entertainment from something with the exploitation and victimisation of women at its heart.
Mcewan, who is currently based in London, said: “The Bible John is such an interesting case, it is uniquely Scottish and it is obviously still unsolved after 50 years.
“It’s really interesting writing a play about something real that doesn’t have an ending yet.”