The story of the last woman to be executed in Great Britain is coming to the stage in Clapham – directed by her own grandson.

Follow Me, at The Bread and Roses Theatre from June 16 to 19, tells dramatises the final moments of beautiful party girl Ruth Ellis, who was hanged following the murder of her lover in 1955, and that of the most decorated executioner of our time, Albert Pierrepoint.

Ellis’ grandson Stephen Beard stumbled across the play almost a decade ago and will now direct.

He said: “I happened upon a sign at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival which simply read ‘Follow Me’.

“The sign turned out to be more than a marketing stunt and to my surprise, I ended up watching a show dedicated to the last hours of my grandmother’s life.

“ That rather emotional surprise turned quickly to confusion and an inner turmoil over what really is right and wrong.

“Ruth Ellis was my Grandmother. My Grandmother was also a convicted murderer.

“In its simplest terms, Pierrepoint was the goody and Ruth the baddy. But both ended a life.

“Who is right? Who is wrong? As the play progresses, it seems that even Pierrepoint isn’t quite so sure.

“My mother was fighting for a reprieve but she died before the decision was made and in the light of new evidence and new ideas, I have to consider whether it is worth reopening the case and clearing her name if not just for her sake, but my mother’s also .”

Follow Me is at Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham, from June 16 to 19. Go to newstagers.co.uk/followme

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