Summary
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley’s dark comedyWicked Little Lettersis based on an unbelievable true story that played out (almost) how it plays out in the film. The movie opens in 1920 as devoted Christian and proud spinster Edith Swan, played by Colman, receives the latest in a long line of profane hate mail in the post. Upon receiving the 19th such letter, Edith finally reports it to the police, who immediately suspect her foul-mouthed neighbor Rose Gooding, played by Buckley, who vehemently denies being the one who sent the letters.
What follows is an astonishing tale that rocks their small community of Littlehampton. The real-life scandal seen inWicked Little Letters, now streaming on Netflix, became known as the Littlehampton Letters, and the case is documented inThe National Archives. Most movies that claim to be based on a true story take so many artistic liberties in their journey from the page to the screen that they barely resemble the real-life events they’re dramatizing. But,as the opening title card claims, the events depicted inWicked Little Lettersare “more true than you’d think.”
Wicked Little Letters Is Based On The Littlehampton Letters Case From The 1920s
The case was also known as “The Seaside Mystery”
Wicked Little Lettersdramatizes the real-life scandal of the Littlehampton Letters, also known as the Seaside Mystery. Edith began receiving a series of letters filled with insults and profanity, much to the chagrin of her stern, old-fashioned father Edward,played in the film by Timothy Spall, and her genial, kind-hearted mother Victoria, played in the film by Gemma Jones.Since Edith’s neighbor Rose was known for having the mouth of a sailor – and her once-thriving friendship with Edith had soured – she instantly became the prime suspectin the case. Rose denied sending the letters, but no one believed her (initially).
Historian Emily Cockayne has written two books about the Littlehampton letters:Cheek by Jowl: A History of NeighboursandPenning Poison: A History of Anonymous Letters.
Why Edith Swan Sent Fake Letters To Herself
It was a way of rebelling against her overbearing father
Themost surprising twist inWicked Little Lettersreveals that Rose wasn’t the one writing the hateful letters to Edith; Edith was writing them to herself. This is how the real-life case shook out in the end – it was revealed that Edith was sending hate mail to herself and pinning it on Rose. It might seem odd that Edith would send herself hate mail, but it was a result of Edith’s overbearing father Edward constantly policing what she could do or say.Writing those letters was the only way for Edith to release all her repressed angerand express herself.
Edith was very judgmental of Rose’s liberal use of profanity, but she was secretly jealous that Rose could get away with saying whatever she wanted and face no consequences for it. Edith’s father would never allow her to use such language around the house – on a Wednesday! – so Edith had to bottle up all her profane rage. This bottled-up rage manifested itself in the explicit letters that Edith wrote and sent to her own house. This motivation is revealed hilariously towards the end of the film when Edith finally tells Edward to “f*** off!”
Rose Gooding’s Arrest & Prison Sentences Explained
Rose was found guilty of libel and spent a total of six months in prison
The case ofthe Littlehampton letters resulted in four court cases and three prison sentences. After Rose moved in next door to Edith in 1918, the two became good friends. Edith gave Rose a recipe for chutney and a knitting pattern for socks, while Rose gave Edith a tin bath. The friendship soured after Edith reported Rose’s shaky parenting to the NSPCC, and shortly after that, the wicked little letters started appearing. Rose was immediately suspected of sending the letters, and despite a lack of evidence, she was put on trial on July 17, 2025 (viaRadio Times).
Rose was held in prison until she was tried at Sussex assizes on December 13, where she was found guilty of libel and sentenced to a further 14 days in prison. Rose finally returned home after spending three months behind bars, but her troubles weren’t over yet. Edith kept receiving hateful letters and Rose was again suspected of sending them.Despite Rose’s barrister using Edith’s handwritten chutney recipe and knitting instructions to prove the penmanship was identical to the letters, Rose was still sent to jailfor another 12 months, this time with hard labor.
How The Police Caught Edith Swan As The Writer Of The Letters
The police hatched a devious scheme to catch Edith in the act
During Rose’s second prison sentence, Edith continued to write obscenities and even sent some obscene notes to the police, claiming she’d found them near Rose’s house. While this has been interpreted as an attempt by Edith to strengthen her case against Rose, the opposite happened. Police noticed similarities between the notes that were supposedly written by Rose and Edith’s letter that accompanied them, and began to suspect her. Rose was released from prison three months into her sentence and Edith became the new top suspect. PC Gladys Moss, played in the film by Anjana Vasan, was assigned to the case.
Gladys was sent by Scotland Yard’s Inspector George Nicholls to watch Edith’s house from a nearby shed, where she witnessed Edith dropping off an obscene note at neighbor Violet May’s house. Edith was put on trial in 1921, but the judge couldn’t believe Edith would use such foul language, so she got off scot-free. In 1923, to compile more evidence against Edith,the police marked a set of postage stamps with special invisible ink and told the post office to sell them to Edith. This allowed them to trace Edith’s next letters back to her.
This isn’t quite as cinematic as the movie’s portrayal of events, which sees Gladys’ niece hiding in a postbox and waiting for an obscene letter to be posted, but in both cases, Edith was finally caught inky-handed.In July 1923, the Lewes Crown Court jury finally found Edith guiltyof writing the wicked little letters. Judge Avory still couldn’t believe that a respectable, seemingly good-natured Christian woman like Edith could write such filth, but he respected the jury’s decision and sentenced Edith to 12 months in prison.
What Happened To Edith Swan & Rose Gooding After The Truth Came Out
Edith was sent to prison and Rose’s name was finally cleared
When the truth came out, Edith was sent to prison and Rose’s name was finally cleared. A 1939 register shows that by that point, Edith was living in East Preston Institution, Worthing, a former workhouse refurbished as a residential home known as North View Home. Edith was listed as being incapacitated, and she stayed at the same house for 20 years before she passed away.Edith died in March 1959, long after the events ofWicked Little Lettershad made her infamous.
