“Toxic Town,” a new four-episode TV series starring actress Jodie Whittaker, made its premiere on the streaming platform Netflix this Thursday, Feb. 27 and so far, has received mostly positive reviews from the press.
Directed by Jack Thorne, “Toxic Town” is inspired by the infamous Corby toxic waste case, a landmark court case that postdated a years-long campaign led by a group of mothers from Corby, England, whose children were born with severe birth defects as a result of dangerous toxins that were being emitted from the site of a former British Steel plant in the town.
In 2009, a judge from The High Court of Justice ultimately found the Corby Borough Council to be liable for negligence, public nuisance and a breach of statutory duty for their handling of the situation. The case, which impacted both Great Britain and the rest of the world, was historically significant as it is considered the first law in the world to establish a link between atmospheric toxic waste and birth defects.
Whittaker (of Doctor Who fame) plays Susan McIntyre, a mom with a young son, Connor, who is born with a deformed hand as a result of her baby absorbing the airborne toxins in utero. In episode one, we see Susan delivering Connor in a hospital room alongside another mother whose baby is also born with a birth defect. As more and more infants enter the world with congenital abnormalities, ranging from clubbed feet to missing fingers, McIntyre begins to suspect that something is seriously amiss. A journalist subsequently reaches out to McIntyre and breaks the news to a major British newspaper, igniting the flame in a series of crucial events that are depicted throughout the rest of the show.
In a 1999 Sunday Times article, residents described the town as having “muddy lagoons that smelled ‘like a hospital ward’ and children playing by large pools of liquid that fizzed when stones were thrown into them.”
Many of the people who were left impacted by the toxic waste were former steel workers working to decontaminate the site. Many had been left unemployed after the steel industry receded, yet didn’t have any experience in toxic waste removal. Toxic material ended up sticking to the wheels of the vehicles that were transporting it, and the wheel-washing that was cleaning the tires was making the situation worse.
Watching Toxic Town, you can’t help but think about the mother’s anguish and frustration at such a dreadful situation; their children are disfigured, their lives turned upside-down by something so easily preventable. Much like the 2000 Academy Award-winning film “Erin Brockovich,” Susan McIntyre stands out as the main protagonist in the shows as a crusader for human health and environmental safety (the case has been dubbed “the British Erin Brockovich” by several media outlets).
Overall, “Toxic Town” is an intriguing, powerful and at times emotional look at a group of ordinary people who became extraordinary fighters for environmental stability, happiness and most importantly the right to live a healthy and safe life.