We have probably all witnessed those mums (and dads) who barrack rather too loudly for their child in the sporting arena, or encountered parents who appear to channel their entire hopes and dreams in life through their children. Or who want desperately for their children to carbon copy their own achievements.

Martha Lott has written herself just such a character – an overbearing, clever, feisty mum, reliving past glories and doing whatever it takes to ensure success for her daughter; on this occasion becoming the captain of the school debating team. It is a captivating and impressive performance.

Her long suffering daughter, played with contrasting calm by Martha’s real life daughter Amelia Lott-Watson, has heard it all before many times and is not even sure she wants what her mother so earnestly seeks for her. Besides, the girl who is her main rival in her mother’s eyes, is actually her  friend, who she fears has been cyber bullied out of a prize to which she was equally entitled.

Mum is relentless in trying to build her daughter up, but equally ruthless in tearing her opponent down.

The Debate is set in current times, which means that mum has access and the skills to use computer technology to achieve her destructive aims. Tools such as Reddit chats, deep fakes, identity theft and all manner of manipulative suggestion on social media lead mum to be confident that she has done enough to squash any opposition, all done of course with the honourable intent of helping her daughter.

In doing so, Martha shines a searing spotlight on many dangers of the online age. However it also highlights the modern difficulty with determining what is real and what is not real. And is mum a believable character? Is the position of debating captain really worth all this?

On the one hand we are meant to believe that as a champion debater mum was sharp-witted and highly intelligent, but at times she leaps over the line to bogan caricature. The ‘I’m no racist but……..no Chinese girl is good enough to win against my daughter’ is just one of several moments that leave us squirming.

Ultimately Martha Lott has engaged her very considerable skills to create a rather unlikable character, and you reach a point of hoping that something will happen to bring her unstuck……..

It’s a wild ride! There are plenty of laughs to be had in this entertaining piece of theatre, but also many serious contemporary issues to be considered. Perhaps it will trigger a raging debate?