THE story of The Freshwater Five is coming to the Isle of Wight in theatre format this Autumn.

Ten years on from the original convictions, the play will recount the tale of five men caught up in one of the biggest drug busts in Isle of Wight history.

Beginning on the eve of the 2021 appeal, the stageplay ­— written by Island playwright Liam Patrick Harrison ­— will provide a detailed and rich theatrical investigation into the men’s downfall.

Who are the Freshwater Five, you may ask?

In 2011, five men were given a combined 104-year prison sentence for masterminding a £53m drug smuggling operation.

Since known as the Freshwater Five, due to where the cocaine was found, the men have always said they were innocent of any wrong doing.

Award-winning production company, Deadman, will stage the first in a set of performances at The Quay Arts Centre in Newport ­— on November 22 and 23.

On December 1 and 2, it will arrive at The Ventnor Exchange.

The Freshwater Five is a regional research and developed project funded by Arts Council England and The Mike Howley Trust, supported by The Quay Arts Centre and Ventnor Exchange.

With the help of Ventnor Exchange’s Brave Island initiative, a creative network for young people on the Isle of Wight, the team has launched open casting and engaged with some of the best talent in the region.

Future plans for the project include a southern tour to neighbouring coastal communities.

Liam Patrick Harrison said: “We are immensely proud to have the opportunity to tell this quintessential Island story, with Island talent, in our own backyard.

"The Island is awash with important, immersive, engaging, working class narratives to tell.

"We were captured by the dramatic, tragic tale of the Freshwater Five ­— an instant modern myth for our time.

"Whether guilty or innocent, we believe the men and families of the Freshwater Five should be seen in the context of the time in which they live."

Director Samuel Bossman and playwright Liam Patrick Harrison. Picture by Charlie Price.