Catherine Tate to star in West End play about 1970s Enfield poltergeist
The Enfield poltergeist is said to have haunted the family living at 284 Green Street in north London in the late 1970s.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Comedian and actress Catherine Tate is to star in a West End play about the Enfield poltergeist, which is said to have wreaked havoc in a north London council house in the late 1970s.
The cast of The Enfield Haunting also includes David Threlfall, best known for his role as Frank Gallagher in the TV show Shameless.
Tate, 53, who has appeared in Doctor Who, Queen Of Oz, and her own series, The Catherine Tate Show, will play single mother Peggy Hodgson, who is trying to protect her three children from a disturbing supernatural force.
Talking about the play, Tate said: “I’m thrilled to be part of The Enfield Haunting and can’t wait to start working with the first-class creative team and the brilliant David Threlfall.”
Threlfall will portray ghost hunter Maurice Grosse, who was a real-life paranormal investigator who helped the Hodgson family.
The 69-year-old actor said: “I’m delighted to be reuniting with director Angus Jackson and working for the first time with the amazing Catherine Tate on Paul Unwin’s version of the UK’s most famous incident of psychological inhabitation, The Enfield Haunting, in 1977.”
Writer Unwin spent time with a poltergeist expert to learn what had happened to the Hodgson family.
He said: “Before Guy Lyon Playfair, the poltergeist expert, died in 2018, I spent a long afternoon with him in his basement flat in Earl’s Court.”
“He and Maurice Grosse had spent months with the Hodgson family trying to protect them, but also make sense of what was going on.
“What Guy told me was terrifying. So much of what appears to have happened was impossible to fake and yet at the centre of the whole thing were real people trying to make sense of their lives.
“The Enfield Haunting is a psychological ghost story. It is a ghost story for now.”
The play takes place over one spring night and is based on the account of one of the ghost hunters who visited 284 Green Street, Enfield, which was said to be haunted by a poltergeist that moved furniture and toys around.
Sixteen-year-old Janet was thought to be possessed and was reportedly seen floating 6ft in the air by the local lollipop lady.
The story was previously told in a TV drama series in 2015.
The Enfield Haunting will be staged at Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre before moving to The Ambassadors Theatre in London for a limited West End season from November 30 2023 to March 2 2024.
The play’s first performance will take place in Brighton on Tuesday November 14.
Tickets will go on sale to ATG Theatre Card Holders at 10am Thursday July 13 at https://enfieldhauntingplay.com/, with tickets going on general sale from 12pm.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.