Despite lobbying southern yacht clubs and English theatres a Scottish touring theatre company, who have produced a fascinating play, Crowhurst, about Donald Crowhurst, have no bookings in the cities of the Solent, West Country or Thames Estuary. Instead their play can only be seen in Scotland or Liverpool.

Crowhurst threw himself overboard into the Atlantic’s Sargasso Sea at 11.20am on July 1st 1969. In his home port of Teignmouth, Devon, preparations to welcome him back as winner of the first Sunday Times Round the World Yacht Race continued, unaware of this final act in a bizarre drama.

Crowhurst left two log books behind. One an account of his reportedly glorious progress over the past eight months. The other an accurate record of where he’d actually been, never having left the Atlantic, meandering about in his leaky, ill-prepared trimaran Teignmouth Electron. Evidence of the scale of his deception was left for all to see.

Benchtours playwright John Harvey said: ‘The account of an extraordinary fake, Crowhurst’s story slips between reality and fantasy, bravery and foolishness, revealing as much about people’s willingness to be deceived as it does about the man himself. Combining video projection with live action, Crowhurst goes beyond the confines of a small cabin on a boat and out into the vast ocean of perceptions, truths and falsehoods that sweep far over the horizon.’

For tour dates of the 65 minute play in Scotland and Liverpool call: 0131 555 3585