The concept of trolling long predates the era of Twitter – sorry, ‘X’ – and other social media feeds. Back in the day, there wasn’t even a character limit on an anonymous poison-pen missive slipped through a letterbox, or a doxxing parchment pinned to the town hall notice board, so you could really get stuck in. Anonymity, however, was a lot trickier to maintain when things needed to be delivered in person.
Which is what makes it so intriguing that Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman’s new comedy, Wicked Little Letters, is based on a real-life incident in the English seaside town of Littlehampton. Back in the 1920s, two women clashed over a series of sweary letters. Read on for the full story.
Warning: contains spoilers for Wicked Little Letters.
Is Wicked Little Letters based on a true story?
In 1920 a series of anonymous and obscene letters started landing on the doormats of residents of the Sussex town. The main recipient was a sanctimonious lady called Edith Swan (played by Colman in the film), with insults ranging from 'cow' to ‘whore’ being lobbed her way. And they got fruitier as they went. ‘The cakes you make look like they’ve fallen out of some fucking sheep’s fucking arsehole’ was one of the more specific dissing on offer.
And bear in mind that it was considered improper for women to utter even the mildest curse word in those judgy Edwardian times.
The finger was quickly pointed at a larger-than-life, sweary Irish woman called Rose Gooding (Buckley). The Daily Mail newspaper dubbed it ‘the Seaside Mystery’ as reporters – and the odd police detective – descended on the seaside town to get to the bottom of the case. Cue a witch hunt and a headline-grabbing court case.
As an interesting cinematic aside, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1943 Le Corbeau – a classic melodrama about a series of incendiary letters that causes havoc in a French town – was also based on a real-life story in the same timeframe. The Limousin town of Tulle was torn apart in 1917 by an anonymous letter-writer called ‘the Raven’.
How was Edith Swan actually caught?
Only after Rose was handed 12 months with hard labour did the real culprit begin to come to light. Similarities were spotted between the letters and the writing in Edith’s notebook. She was also spotted leaving one of the letters.
In 1923, detectives set a trap for Edith, marking stamps with invisible ink and instructing the post office to sell them only to her. Sure enough, the next anonymous letter was posted with one of the incriminating stamps. Prison awaited.
Who’s in the cast?
Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman play Edith and Rose, the two old friends who turn foes when the letters work their poison on the town. Mogul Mowgli’s Anjana Vasan plays WPC Gladys Moss, the police constable who fights Rose’s corner when the investigation into the case begins, while Timothy Spall and Gemma Jones play Edith’s overbearing dad and mild-mannered mum.
Small Axe’s Malachi Kirby is Rose’s boyfriend and Eileen Atkins, Joanna Scanlan and Lolly Adefope play local women who are drawn into the mystery.
What have the reviews been like?
Reviews have been fairly mixed, with some critics appreciating the film’s sweary humour and central performances, and others railing against its tweeness and overstretched material. Vanity Fair is in the former camp, pointing out that ‘the lack of a real mystery doesn't really matter when Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman are as delightful to watch as they are in this film’.
The Playlist praises the colour-blind casting, noting that it stars ‘people of colour in prominent roles in 1920s England without referencing their race even once’.
Other reviews criticised the lack of realism in the storytelling. ‘[It] often plays like an extended comedy sketch with little interest in reality,’ writes Indiewire. The Guardian was more damning. ‘A once promising reunion for The Lost Daughter co-stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley,’ writes its critic, ‘it instead represents a regretful low point for them both’.
When is Wicked Little Letters released?
The film is out in UK cinemas on February 23 and in US theaters on March 29. Read our review here.