July 1841, Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron’s former mistress, has just laid her mother to rest before heading back to the continent. However, a secret, passed to Claire at the funeral has raked up painful memories about their scandalous affair and a nagging conviction that she must uncover the truth.

Resolving she cannot do this alone, Claire co-opts her half sister, Mary Shelley, author of ‘Frankenstein’ to help. After all, Mary was part of the Byron set; she’ll know what to do. However, the past is sordid, murky and digging for answers requires getting your hands dirty. And are they prepared for what will be unearthed?

Deborah Clair is an award winning playwright and Dangerous to Know will be her fifth published play to date.Dangerous to Know is the companion piece to Conception written and performed in 2023 as a revealing tribute to Mary Shelley and her ground-breaking novel, Frankenstein.Conception was directed by Lucy Speed (BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, BBC One Cradle to Grave, ITV The Unforgotten) and the play will be coming to The Stables on 3 & 4 May this year.

Deborah’s other plays include S.O.E,A Necessary Woman (co-written with Philippa Urquhart) and Best Beloved all published by Methuen Conception was first published in 2023 and will be re-published in a combined volume with Dangerous to Know this Autumn.

CLAIR/OBSCUR’s mission is to share the stories of remarkable women. Deborah’s research has unearthed all sorts of discoveries. In 2018 she found unidentified film footage of suffragette Emily Davison in the BFI archives for which she was interviewed on BBC Woman’s Hour, ITV News at Ten and BBC Breakfast.