Ordinary Decent Criminal ★★★★★

In 2023, writer Ed Edwards and political comedian, actor, and activist Mark Thomas collaborated to bring the stunning play England and Son to the Edinburgh Fringe, which rightly received a Fringe First. 2025 sees the duo return to Edinburgh with Ordinary Decent Criminal, again produced by Paines Plough. It echoes similar political and social themes to its predecessor, yet in a different trajectory. Can the latest production match the quality of writing and acting exhibited in England and Son?

Set in the years following 1990s’ Strangeways Prison riot, Ordinary Decent Criminal is told through the eyes of Frankie, a former political activist and recovering drug addict who, although now clean, still seeks the thrill and financial rewards of dealing cannabis around Greater Manchester. When his “failsafe” method of importing the drug from Spain proves not to be so watertight, and the law catches up with him, Frankie is sentenced to three and half years in prison. Ordinarily, this would see him doing time at Strangeways. However, the recent riot there means he is instead incarcerated in “the brave new world of a liberal prison experiment”.

Armed with a typewriter – he is an aspiring author who has already “punk-published” a novella, hindered by a burnt-out political soul, and even more disadvantaged by the sore lack of a decent right hook, Frankie is parachuted into the unfamiliar, highly challenging, and frequently violent world of imprisonment. Here, he must draw upon all of his wits to progress coping strategies

Yet as the piece unfolds it becomes apparent none of his fellow inmates are exactly what they seem. As Frankie’s custodial pathway progresses, and he develops relationships with a highly diverse set of detainees – a religious convert who is “top dog”, a former solider with PTSD, a young man locked up for a revenge attack on his abuser, and a Northern Irish hard man with a mysterious past, to name a few – their and Frankie’s real personas and back stories become apparent, with diverse – and sometimes tragic – consequence for all involved.

Of particular note is the relationship that builds between Belfast hardman Tony and Frankie, that allows the latter to reveal how he fell from radical left-wing activism to addiction and dealing. Furthermore, the resonance of life on the outside and the pull of relationships, as well as the omnipresence of drugs, is skilfully rippled throughout the production.

Performed in thrust staging – with the audience on three sides – and adroitly using a highly minimal set, the production really conveys the pressure-cooker atmosphere of prison life. The script is superbly crafted and fast paced, but never to the detriment of the performance. However, once again, it is Thomas – with an excellent grasp of vocal mimicry – who excels as he ricochets across the stage bringing each of the characters to life, revealing not just their words, but also their souls. Ultimately though, will Frankie and his fellow inmates find redemption? Let’s just say the play builds to a superb crescendo, with an ending I am sure no one in the audience saw coming!