To mark the 400th anniversary of Sir Francis Bacon’s death, OVO presented the premiere of Jesse Norman’s play The Winding Stair at the Inner Temple in London on 10–11 November 2026. The production now transfers to OVO’s The Barn theatre in St Albans, running from 13–15 November.
Adapted by Jesse Norman from his widely admired novel -winner of the 2023 Parliamentary Book Award, a New Statesman Book of the Year, and a Sunday Times Book of the Week – the play tells the story of the seesawing rivalry between two founding fathers of our modern world: the brilliant philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon, and the pre-eminent lawyer and defender of common law, Sir Edward Coke. Coke was himself a Bencher of the Inner Temple.
Photos: OVO / Mili Branston / Ian Cullen
