The play's title is a portmanteau referencing the gerrymandering policy adopted by Shirley Porter while leader of Westminster City Council in the 1980s which "forced homeless families to substandard housing in order to manipulate the borough's voting demographic.
"[4] Shirleymander dramatises Porter's time as leader of the council and the scandals that ensued around the illegal homes for votes policy and the sale of 3 cemeteries for 5 pence each.
"[5] Moira Petty, writing in The Stage, also commended Evans for his recreation of the culture of fear that had pervaded the council: "What this drama did extraordinarily well was to conjure up an atmosphere of dread, suspicion and subservience which allowed her reign of terror to flourish.
"[10] Paul Donovan, for The Sunday Times, called the play "taut, vicious, gripping" and felt that the character of Porter emerged "as an immensely strong, charismatic woman surrounded by jellyfish.
"[11] In 2018, a stage play adapted from the radio drama opened at the Playground Theatre in west London, where the production ran for several weeks.